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.”
English contains a lot of adjectives of French origin. One of the features of these adjectives is that they have come from the feminine version of the French adjective, not the masculine version, which is normally the default. That’s because the feminine version of any French adjective is usually easier for English speakers to pronounce. It…
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”
The French idiom “filer un mauvais coton” literally translates as “to spin a bad cotton”! But what it really means is “to wither away; to have deteriorating health; to do bad business; to lead a disorderly life leading to nothing; or to run wild.” This saying dates back to the end of the 17th century….
The French expression “en rester comme deux ronds de flan” is an idiomatic expression that means “to be left speechless,” “to be perplexed,” or “to be stunned.” It is used to describe someone who is so surprised or shocked by something that they are unable to respond or react. Some believe that the origin of…
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…
How do you say “time” in French? It depends what sort of time you want to talk about. In French, there are several types of time, not just one. “Le temps” means time in general, or time as a duration. “La fois” means time as an occasion, or as part of a sequence of occasions….