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.”
“Tourner autour du pot” is a French idiom that literally means “to turn around the pot.” In plain English, it means to hesitate, to avoid the main topic, to seek advantage in a roundabout way, or to procrastinate. This saying dates from the 15th century, when it originally meant someone who seeks to gain undue advantage….
The French idiom “montrer patte blanche” translates literally as “to show white paw.” What it really means is “to prove your identity,” “to present authorisation to enter a place,” or “to be recommendable.” This saying dates back to the time of Jean de La Fontaine. He was a poet and a writer of fables who…
The French idiom “poisson d’avril” literally means “fish of April”, which sounds meaningless and nonsensical. But in fact it refers to the name of any April Fool’s Day joke or prank, carried out on the 1st April in any year. It was first used towards the end of the 17th century, because the word “poisson”…
The French idiom “mettre en boîte” means literally “to put in a can” or “to can.” Figuratively however it means “to make fun of someone,” “to annoy,” “to tease,” or “to kid.” The saying dates back to the end of the 19th century, when “to can” meant “to mock” or “to whistle disapprovingly at.” The…
“Avoir l’intention de” is a common French expression that translates to “to intend to,” “to have the intention of” or “to mean to” in English. It is used to express a plan, goal, or something you are planning to do. This phrase is quite versatile and can be used in various contexts, whether formal or…
The French verb “rester” means “to stay” or “to remain” in English. But “rester” can be used with indirect object pronouns to mean “to have left.” This is an impersonal construction. In an impersonal construction, the “il” in “il me reste” means “it,” rather than “he.” The literal translation of “il me reste” is “it…