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.
“Mine de rien” is a popular French expression that is used in everyday conversations. Literally translated, it means “appearance of nothing,” “expression of nothing,” or “look of nothing,” but its true meaning goes beyond its literal interpretation. This expression is often used to describe someone’s behavior or attitude when they are doing something in a…
“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,…
This expression means “that’s it,” “that’s enough” or “we’re all squared up.” It refers to payment and is based on the street “rue Michel le Comte” in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. This street received its name in 1270. The expression comes from the drivers of horse drawn hackney cabs who were originally based in the…
“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…
The French expression “payer au lance-pierres” translates literally as “to pay with a slingshot,” but it means “to underpay.” The saying dates to the end of the 19th century, when slingshots made from rubber become more popular, thanks to improvements in rubber chemistry. The expression originally came from another saying “avec un lance-pierres,” which translated…
“Faire grève” or “faire la grève” is a French idiom that means “to strike,” or “to go on strike.” This is when workers purposely stop working in their attempt to achieve higher wages and/or better conditions from their employers. The word “grève” in the expression comes from the word for gravel (gravier) which in turn came…
