Une bête de somme means a workhorse or a beast of burden. Back in the 12th century, “une somme” meant the load that a horse or a mule could carry. Then, in the 16th century, the term “bête de somme” arrived. These days, the more common word for burden is “un fardeau,” but the term “bête de somme” survives in its original form.
“Vogue la galère” means “what will be, will be,” “come what may,” or “whatever happens, happens.” Literally the expression means something like “let the galley sail.” But the word “voguer” (to sail) originally meant to be pushed over the water by strength of oars. Galleys were ships powered by oarsmen and were used from antiquity…
“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…
“Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter” means literally “to have other cats to whip.” But in English, this would translate to “to have other fish to fry” or “to have better/more important things to do.” The origin of this expression is unknown. However other expressions involving whipped cats do exist: “éveillée comme un chat qu’on fouette”…
The French adjective “prochain” means “next.” Like most adjectives, it is usually placed after the noun it describes, but not always. Let’s find out how the position of “prochain” can vary. Why do you say “la semaine prochaine” (next week) but you also say “les deux prochaines semaines” (the next two weeks)? In the first…
The French idiom “l’alpha et l’oméga” translates literally as “the alpha and the omega.” What it really means is the start and end of something, or something in its totality, or just the totality. Its origin is the Bible. In the book of Isaiah, God says “I am the first and the last.” This means…
The French idiom “danser devant le buffet” means to have no food or to have nothing to eat. Literally, it translates as “to dance in front of the sideboard.” This expression comes from a play on words dating back to the end of the 18th century. From the 16th to the 18th century, the verb…
