“Tomber des cordes” is a French expression that means “to be raining cats and dogs” or to rain very heavily. Literally, it means “to fall some ropes.” The saying dates back to the end of the 17th century. This idiom has variants such as “pleuvoir des cordes” (to rain ropes) and “tomber des hallebardes” (to rain halberds, which are a type of medieval and Renaissance pole weapon).
The French idiom “mettre en boîte” means literally “to put in a can” or “to can.” Figuratively however it means “to make fun of someone,” “to annoy,” “to tease,” or “to kid.” The saying dates back to the end of the 19th century, when “to can” meant “to mock” or “to whistle disapprovingly at.” The…
“Du tac au tac” is a French expression meaning immediately, with vivacity, like lightning, scathingly, or with a quick response. It has nothing to do with Tic Tacs or Tiktok. It comes from the world of fencing. In fencing, to retaliate “du tac au tac” means to reply immediately to an assault. The word “tac” refers…
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…
This expression means to have a lot to do, or to have numerous tasks to accomplish. But this expression originally meant to have resources for the future, or to be assured of lacking for nothing. That’s because before the start of the 20th century, French bread used to last a long time. Then, as people…
The French expression “tomber des nues” translates literally as “to fall from the clouds.” “Les nues” is a feminine plural noun meaning “the clouds” or “the heavens.” It is not used these days, except in a literary sense. The modern word for clouds is “les nuages” and for heavens it is “le ciel” or “le paradis.”…
The French idiom “faire long feu” literally translates as “to make long fire.” What it really means is “to drag on,” “to not have the desired effect,” “to last longer than expected” or “to miss your goal.” It comes from the era of of muzzle-loading rifles, before the invention of waterproof cartridges that enclosed the…