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.”
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…
Meanings of “Craindre”: The French verb “craindre” primarily translates to “to fear” or “to be afraid.” However, its meanings extend beyond mere fear, encompassing a spectrum of related emotions: Conjugation in Present and Passé Composé: “Craindre” belongs to the third group of French verbs, which are often irregular in their conjugations. Here is how “craindre”…
French is full of colorful expressions that don’t always have obvious meanings at first glance. One such expression is “avoir la dent dure”, which literally translates to “to have a hard tooth.” Its figurative meaning, however, is quite different. Meaning and Origin of the Expression The expression “avoir la dent dure” is used to describe…
The French adjective “chargé” has several meanings and can be used in various contexts. Amongst others, it can mean “loaded,” “busy,” “charged” and “heavy.” Here are some usage examples: Etymology of “charger”
Possessive pronouns replace nouns and show ownership or possession. They agree in gender and number with the nouns they replace. In English, they are “mine,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “ours,” and “theirs.” Here’s a comprehensive table listing the French possessive pronouns: Possessor Singular Plural 1st person le mien (mine) les miens (mine) la mienne (mine) les…
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…