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 “marquer d’une pierre blanche” literally means “to mark with a white stone.” It means to write down a date so as to remember it for a long time, or to identify a period of time as being especially memorable and auspicious because a happy or favourable event took place then. This idiom…
“Faire tintin” means to be frustrated or deprived, to receive nothing when you were expecting something. Despite the illustration above, this saying has nothing to do with the comic book character Tintin. He was created in 1929, but the word “tintin” dates back to the 13th century. It originally referred to the noise of objects…
“Mettre les pouces” is a French idiom that literally means “to put the thumbs.” What it really means is to stop resisting, to give in, to admit defeat or to abandon something. It dates from the end of the 18th century. In that same era, a similar expression “coucher les pouces” (to put the thumbs to…
“au nez et à la barbe de” is a French expression that literally means “under the nose and in front of the beard of.” But it means “in front of someone, with the intention of taunting them,” or “to the detriment of someone, although done in his presence.” Although it refers to a beard, it…
This phrase means “without continuity,” “with frequent interruptions,” “in a disordered fashion,” “informal,” or “in an irregular way.” The origins of this French expression are shrouded in mystery. Some believe it comes from a traditional tapestry design that contained an irregular mix of sticks or long, thin rectangular shapes. It is more likely that this…
Meaning At its core, “discuter” means “to discuss” in English. However, its usage is not limited to just one type of conversation. Depending on the context, it can encompass a range of meanings such as “to talk,” “to debate,” “to argue,” “to negotiate,” and even “to chat.” Usage with Prepositions Examples of “Discuter” in Action…