faites chauffer la colle !

ByFast French

The French saying “faites chauffer la colle !” means literally “have the glue heated up!” or “heat up the glue!”

It is used in an often joking way when something has just been broken, or you see or hear something being broken.

Unless modern glue, which usually comes prepackaged in a tube, old fashioned glue used to have to be mixed from scratch and then heated to make it flow smoothly enough so that it could be applied to broken surfaces. So before using glue, it would have to be heated up.

We still need to heat up some types of glue, especially glue sticks which are used in glue guns. The glue guns provide the heat necessary to melt the glue, which is then applied to the objects needing to be repaired.

It became a widely used expression in the 1950s when a French radio soap opera named “Faites chauffer la colle!” began to be broadcast.

There is no real equivalent to this French saying in English. If you can think of one, please leave a comment.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • Grammar: Possessive Adjectives

    ByFast French

    French possessive adjectives are used to describe to whom something or someone belongs. Their English equivalents are words like “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their.” They replace articles They are used instead of an article. Articles are words like “un,” “une,” “le,” “la,” “l’” (l + apostrophe), “de,” “du,” “de la,” “de l’” (de…

  • because

    ByFast French

    How do you say “because” in French? Most learners are familiar with “parce que,” meaning “because.” “Parce que” is followed by a phrase containing a verb. That means you can’t use “parce que” to say something like “I won’t go to the beach, because of the rain.” The words “the rain” don’t contain a verb,…

  • soulager

    ByFast French

    In French, the noun “un soulagement” and the verb “soulager” are important words that convey the concept of relief. These words are used in everyday language to express the alleviation of pain, stress, or discomfort. Un Soulagement “Un soulagement” is a masculine noun that means “a relief” or “an alleviation.” It is used to describe…

  • les chiens ne font pas des chats

    ByFast French

    “Les chiens ne font pas des chats” means that kids resemble their parents, that one inherits the behaviour and the tastes of one’s parents, along with their character traits. Literally, it means “dogs don’t make cats,” meaning that dogs give birth to puppies, not kittens. Equivalent expressions in English would be “he’s a chip off…

  • les chiens aboient et la caravane passe

    ByFast French

    The French saying “les chiens aboient et la caravane passe” translates literally as “the dogs bark and the caravan passes.” What it really means is “your insults don’t reach me,” or “I am sure of myself and you cannot prove otherwise.” The saying is originally of Arabic origin. In the Middle East and in North…

  • Verb: réussir

    ByFast French

    The French verb “réussir” means “to succeed,” but it can also mean “to achieve,” “to carry off (something) successfully,” “to win,” or “to pass (an exam).” Etymology: The word “réussir” was borrowed in the early 16th century from the Italian verb “riuscire,” meaning “to re-issue” or “to go out again.” The Italian “riuscire,” is made up…