manger sur le pouce

ByFast French

The French saying “manger sur le pouce” translates literally as “to eat on the thumb.” Figuratively, however, it means “to eat quickly,” “to eat rapidly,” or “to eat hastily.”

It dates back to the 19th century. People like factory workers and soldiers often ate on the spot, with one hand holding a piece of bread and the other hand holding a knife to cut some other food. The eater would put the small piece of food on his thumb and bring his thumb to his mouth to eat the food.

Similar English expressions include “to grab a bite” and “to eat on the run.”

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

  • humour vs humeur

    ByFast French

    Both “humour” and “humeur” are French nouns. But they mean different things. “L’humour” (masculine) means “the humour” or “the comedy.” It corresponds fairly closely to the English word “humour” (or “humor,” in US English). In French culture, especially cultivated and sophisticated French culture, “wit” was seen as more important. The French idea of “wit” is…

  • venir

    ByFast French

    The French verb “venir” means “to come.” It is one of the most frequently used verbs in the French language. Present Tense (Présent) Future Tense (Futur Simple) Passé Composé In the passé composé, the verb “venir” uses “être” as the auxiliary verb, and the past participle “venu” agrees in gender and number with the subject.

  • Thanking

    ByFast French

    The way to say “thank you” in French involves words like “merci,” “remerciements” and “remercier.” Most people are familiar with “merci,” but may not have heard of the other two words. Merci “Merci” is either an exclamation or a masculine noun meaning “thanks” or “thank you.” Remerciements “Les remerciements” (masculine plural) is a noun meaning…

  • verb: toucher

    ByFast French

    The French verb “toucher” has a few different meanings. Not all of them are obvious. It can mean “to touch,” “to hit,” “to affect,” “to be next to,” “to get,” “to receive,” or “to win.” “Le toucher” is also a masculine noun meaning “the touch” or “the sense of touch.” to touch to hit to…

  • arroser

    ByFast French

    The French verb “arroser” means “to sprinkle,” “to water,” “to spray” or “to douse.” A reflexive version, “s’arroser,” also exists, usually referring to the consumption of alcohol. arroser examples s’arroser examples Etymology The verb “arroser” is derived from the Latin words “ad,” meaning “to,” and “ros,” meaning “dew” or “moisture.”