The French saying “mettre de l’eau dans son vin” means literally “to put some water in one’s wine.” It means to be less ambitious, to moderate one’s claims or to moderate one’s demands.
It comes from the practice of moderating the intensity of wine by adding water to it.
The expression dates back at least to the middle of the 16th century.
Equivalent English expressions include “to eat humble pie,” “to lower one’s sights,” and “to tone it down.”
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…
The French verb “fondre” means “to melt,” along with a host of other meanings. It’s a useful verb to know if you’re heading into summer temperatures. “Fondre” can mean “to melt,” “to melt down,” “to thaw,” “to thaw out,” “to cast,” “to dissolve,” “to melt away,” “to waste away,” “to soften,” or when used reflexively,…
“Faire son miel de” is a French saying whose literal translation is “to make one’s honey from.” It means to make a profit from, or to take advantage of a situation to earn a lot of money. It comes from the activity of bees, who are known not only for their industriousness and hard work, but…
The French verb “pousser” means “to push,” “to move,” “to push aside,” “to let out,” or “to grow,” among a variety of different meanings. The green sign in the photo means “Push to open.” To push: “Pousser” mainly means to push or shove. To grow: Expressions and Idiomatic Usage: Etymology: The French verb “pousser” traces…
The French saying “avoir le coeur sur la main” literally translates as “to have the heart on the hand.” It means “to be inclined to great generosity,” or “to be generous.” This saying dates back to the end of the 18th century. It comes from the idea that your heart is your most precious possession, because…
“Décrocher le cocotier” means literally “to unhook the coconut tree” or “to take down the coconut tree.” In English, it means “to achieve one’s goals, to win a prize, or to triumph.” An equivalent English expression would be “to hit the jackpot.” The saying dates from the 19th century. It refers to greasy pole competitions in…