“La mouche du coche” is a French saying that literally translates as “the fly of the coach.” It means someone who is useless but imagines they are not, or someone who becomes agitated without providing any real help, or a know-it-all. This expression is usually preceded by the verb “faire” (to make, to do) or…
“Faire d’une pierre deux coups” is a French idiom that literally translates as “to make two strikes with one stone.” It means to reach several objectives with a single action, or to achieve two things at the same time with a single action. The English equivalent of this French saying is “to kill two birds…
“Appeler un chat un chat” is a French saying that literally means “to call a cat a cat.” It means to call things by their name, to be open and direct, to not mince one’s words, not to fear calling things by their names, to avoid euphemisms. The origin of this expression is unknown. Its…
“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…
“Prêcher dans le désert” means to speak without being heard, to speak to those who don’t want to listen, or to speak uselessly to people who don’t want to allow themselves to be convinced. Literally, it means “to preach in the desert” and is an evocative saying. This expression dates from the 18th century. It doesn’t…
“à huis clos” is a French saying that means in private, with all doors closed, in secret. It is an expression dating from the middle of the 16th century, meaning “with doors closed.” “Huis” is an old 11th century word for door, now replaced by the word “porte.” The original word for door was “us,”…
“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…
“Le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle” is a French saying that means “it isn’t worth it.” Literally it means “the game isn’t worth the candle.” Equivalent English expressions include “it isn’t worth breaking your neck over” and even (in the UK) “the game isn’t worth the candle.” This idiom dates back to the 16th…
A “semaine des quatre jeudis” means “never,” “something impossible,” “something that will never happen.” Literally it means “a week with four Thursdays,” implying that Friday and therefore the weekend will never come. This expression is quite old, having been around since the end of the 15th century, when it was known as “la semaine à…
“Recevoir une avoinée” is a French saying that means “to receive a correction, to get beaten or to get hit.” English equivalents would include “to get a licking” or “to take a thrashing.” It comes from the word “‘l’avoine,” meaning “oat.” Oats were used as feed for horses. The expression “l’avoine de cocher” from 1866 meant…