Passer l’éponge means literally to pass the sponge, but in slightly better English it would be to wipe the sponge. The English saying it most closely resembles would be “to wipe the slate clean.” It means to restart from zero, to forgive, or to forget disagreeable acts. The expression dates back to the start of the 17th century and originally existed in the form “porter l’éponge” which meant to carry the sponge.
“Appeler un chat un chat” is a French saying that literally means “to call a cat a cat.” It means to call things by their name, to be open and direct, to not mince one’s words, not to fear calling things by their names, to avoid euphemisms. The origin of this expression is unknown. Its…
French learners often encounter the particle ne used in contexts where it does not indicate negation. This usage can be confusing, as it diverges from the more familiar negation structure ne…pas. Two forms of this non-negative ne are worth distinguishing: the ne explétif and the ne littéraire. Though both are considered stylistic or optional in…
“Bassiner quelqu’un” means to bore someone, to question someone insistently, to disturb them, to annoy them or to bother them. But it comes from the word “bassinoire” which meant a “warming pan,” which was a covered metal pan on the end of a long wooden handle. It was filled with hot coals and used to heat…
“En faire tout un fromage” literally means “to make a whole cheese out of it.” Which doesn’t make a lot of sense in English, of course. But its real meaning is “to make a mountain out of a molehill.” It refers to making a big story out of a small or insignificant thing or event,…
The French phrase “le long de” means “along” in English. It is a preposition. However, there are other ways of translating “along,” depending on the exact meaning of the English term. Related words Etymology “Le long de” comes from the French word “long,” which in turn comes from the Latin word “longus,” meaning “far, extended, remote, distant,…
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….