What does the French idiom “Revenons à nos moutons !” mean? It means, “Let’s get back to the topic,” or “let’s get back on track.” It dates back to 1464, when it was first found in a comedy of the Late Middle Ages. Literally, however, it means, “Let’s come back to our sheep.” Learn more amusing expressions like this one when you book an online lesson with Fast French.
The French saying “prendre de la bouteille” literally means “to take from the bottle.” What it really means is to gain maturity, to acquire experience or to grow old. This expression was originally used for wine, which is something that improves with age. It was then applied to anything that is capable of aging, including humans….
“Pour des prunes” is a French expression that literally means “for plums.” Its closest English equivalent is “for nothing.” The saying dates from the start of the 16th century. However, the association of plums with a complete lack of value dates back to the end of the Second Crusade, which finished around 1150 AD and was…
The French idiom “aller à la selle” means literally “to go to the saddle.” But it doesn’t really have anything to do with horse riding. What it literally means is “to go to the toilet,” or “to have a bowel movement.” The saying is somewhat dated, so it is not used very frequently these days,…
This expression means “in single file” or “each one behind the other.” It is a shortened form of “à la queue du leu le leu.” The word “leu” is the old word for “wolf” in French. So the longer form meant “at the tail of the wolf, the wolf” meaning that the wolves would travel…
The French saying “le repos du guerrier” translates literally to mean “the rest of the warrior.” Figuratively, however, it refers to a man’s procreative activities with a woman, or to coital activity in general, or to bedroom pleasures. It refers to the situation of a warrior who comes back from fighting in a war, to…
“Cinquième colonne” is a French idiom that means “fifth column.” It translates as “traitor, enemy spy organisation, spy, or secret service for a foreign country.” The idiom dates back to 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists of General Franco announced that the capital of Spain, Madrid, would be attacked by five columns of…