French idioms Flashcards
tit-for-tat
à bon chat, bon rat
to a good cat, a good rat
each day as it comes
à chaque jour suffit sa peine
each day’s pain is sufficient for it (reference to the Biblical verse Matthew 6:34)
don’t criticize gifts, accept them gratefully
à cheval donné on ne regarde pas les dents
one does not look at the teeth of a horse that has been given.
very affectionate
amoureuse comme une chatte¹
in love like a female cat
stupidity; stupid remarks
ânerie¹
action proper to a donkey
to tell it like it is; to call a spade a spade
appeler un chat un chat¹
to call a cat a cat
to turn up when least desired or expected
arriver comme un chien dans un jeu de quille¹
to arrive like a dog at a bowling game
to turn up at the absolute worst possible time, to have bad timing
arriver comme un éléphant dans un jeu de quille¹
to arrive like an elephant in a bowling game
to be an easy scapegoat
avoir bon dos
to have [a] good back
to have other/better things to do, to have bigger fish to fry
avoir d’autres chats à fouetter¹
to have other cats to whip
to be attractive
avoir de la gueule¹
to have [a] mouth; to be mouth-watering
to be well read
avoir des lettres
to have letters
to be a very attractive woman
avoir du chien¹
to have “dogginess”
to look puzzled or baffled
avoir l’air d’une poule qui a trouvé un couteau
to look like a hen that has found a knife
to be tired, phased out (e.g. after waking up)
avoir la tête dans le cul
to have one’s head up one’s arse
to have the blues, to be down in the dumps
avoir le cafard
to have the cockroach
to be generous, to give the shirt off one’s back
avoir le cœur sur la main
to have one’s heart in one’s hand
to be lucky
avoir le cul bordé de nouilles
to have an arse full of noodles
to be sure of oneself
avoir le melon
to have the melon
to be scared, to have the jitters or the willies
avoir les jetons
to hold the chips
to have a tiger in one’s tank, to have incredible energy
avoir mangé du lion
to have eaten lion
to menstruate
avoir ses ours¹
to have her bears
to have a frog in your throat
avoir un chat dans la gorge
to have a cat in one’s throat
to have a lisp
avoir un cheveu sur la langue
to have a hair on one’s tongue
to have nerves of steel
avoir un coeur bien accroché
to have one’s heart firmly attached
to shy away from work, to avoid work at all costs
avoir un poil dans la main
to have a hair on one’s hand (i.e., palm)
to be friendly-looking
avoir une bonne gueule¹
to have a good mouth
to be famished
avoir une faim de loup¹
to have a wolf’s hunger
to have a poor memory
avoir une mémoire de lièvre¹
to have a hare’s memory
to have a good memory
avoir une mémoire d’éléphant¹
to have an elephant’s memory
to have a sleepless night
avoir une nuit blanche
to have a white night
to be nasty-looking
avoir une sale gueule¹
to have a filthy muzzle
to drink like a fish
boire comme un trou
to drink like a hole
to be completely useless
Ne rien savoir faire de ses dix doigts.
Not knowing how to do anything with one’s ten fingers
To arrive at the most awkward moment possible
Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe
to arrive like the hair in a soup
To give your grain of salt
Mettre son grain de sel.
to give your grain of salt
Head over heels (in love)
Coup de foudre
Strike of lightening
