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French > Les expressions > Flashcards

Les expressions Flashcards

1
Q

Se marier bien avec

A

To go well with (wine)

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2
Q

Donner la parole à

A

To give the floor to (someone)

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3
Q

Vivre à fond

A

To live life to the fullest

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4
Q

Vivre à cent à l’heure

A

To live life in the fast lane

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5
Q

Aller faire dodo

A

To go beddy-byes

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6
Q

Faire abstraction de

A

To overlook something

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7
Q

En faire (tout) un plat

A

To make a big deal out of something

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8
Q

Plus de peur que de mal

A

To be more scared than hurt

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9
Q

Être le dindon de la farce

A

To be the butt of the joke

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10
Q

Se bourrer la gueule

A

To get wasted

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11
Q

À voir absolument (adj)

A

Must-see

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12
Q

À la une

A

Front-page news

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13
Q

Faire la gueule (à qqn)

A

Be in a mood/strop

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14
Q

Faire/passer une nuit blanche

A

To pull an all-nighter, have a sleepless night

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15
Q

En attendant

A

In the meantime

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16
Q

Avoir une boule au ventre

A

To have knots in your stomach

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17
Q

Mettre (tout le monde/qqn) d’accord

A

To make someone see eye to eye

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18
Q

Dès que possible

A

As soon as possible

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19
Q

Au plus vite

A

As soon as possible

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20
Q

Faire l’éloge de

A

To sing someone’s praises

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21
Q

Ne pas tenir la route

A

To not make sense

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22
Q

Il y a anguille sous roche

A

I smell a rat

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23
Q

Il y a baleine sous gravillon

A

I smell a rat

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24
Q

Comme par hasard

A

Would you believe!

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25
Q

Pile poil

A

Exactly, precisely

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26
Q

Un de ces quatre

A

One of these days

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27
Q

Avoir du sens

A

To make sense

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28
Q

Se passer de quelque chose

A

To no longer use something

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29
Q

Chanter comme une casserole

A

To sing out of tune

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30
Q

Faire la bamboula

A

To party hard

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31
Q

Avoir dans l’idée

A

To have an inkling

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32
Q

Travailler à son compte

A

To be self employed

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33
Q

Être mis à rude épreuve

A

To really be put to the test

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34
Q

À l’arrêt

A

At a standstill

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35
Q

Venir à l’esprit

A

To come to mind

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36
Q

Mal comprendre

A

To misunderstand

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37
Q

Faire exprès de [inf]

A

To do something deliberately

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38
Q

Jadis

A

Formerly, in the olden days

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39
Q

Mettre le bazar

A

To make a mess

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40
Q

Clouer qqn sur place

A

To transfix/be transfixed

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41
Q

Mourir d’envie de

A

To be dying to

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42
Q

Entraîner qqn dans sa chute

A

Drag someone down with you

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43
Q

Rabaisser son caquet à qqn

A

To take someone down a peg

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44
Q

Marcher comme sur des roulettes

A

To run smoothly

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45
Q

Être voué à l’échec

A

To be doomed

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46
Q

Ça vaut le coup d’œil

A

It’s worth a look

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47
Q

Prendre la tête de/à qqn

A

To give someone grief

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48
Q

Ça se joue à rien

A

It could go either way

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49
Q

En joue !

A

Take aim!

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50
Q

Tenir qqn en haleine

A

To keep someone in suspense

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51
Q

Ça ne te regarde pas

A

None of your business

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52
Q

Ce n’est pas tes oignons

A

None of your business

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53
Q

Mordre à l’hameçon

A

To fall for, be fooled

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54
Q

Se retrouver sur le carreau

A

To be left high and dry

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55
Q

Mise à plat

A

Getting things straight, clarification

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56
Q

Dans le mille

A

Bang on!

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57
Q

Comme tu le sais probablement

A

As you probably know

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58
Q

Ne pas faire dans la dentelle

A

To be rather indelicate

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59
Q

Être aux prises avec

A

To grapple with

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60
Q

Saigner qqn à blanc

A

To bleed someone dry (financially)

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61
Q

Trouver le temps de faire qqch

A

To get around to doing something

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62
Q

Tenter sa chance

A

To take a chance

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63
Q

Voir le bon côté

A

Look on the bright side

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64
Q

Voir le bon côté

A

Look on the bright side

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65
Q

Lire dans les pensées de qqn

A

To read someone’s mind

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66
Q

Se mettre en quatre

A

To bend over backwards

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67
Q

Broyer du noir

A

Feel downhearted

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68
Q

Avoir la gorge nouée

A

To have a lump in your throat

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69
Q

Partir en vrille

A

To go off the rails, spin out of control

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70
Q

Avoir un chat dans la gorge

A

To have lost your voice

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71
Q

Se faire valoir

A

To show off

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72
Q

Valoir mieux faire qqch

A

It would be best to do something

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73
Q

Effleurer le problème/sujet

A

To scratch the surface

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74
Q

Le tour est joué

A

Bobs your uncle

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75
Q

Gâcher sa chance

A

To miss your chance

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76
Q

Pour ne rien gâcher

A

What’s more

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77
Q

Sécher les cours

A

To skip school

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78
Q

Compétent pour faire qqch

A

Able to do something

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79
Q

Digne de qqn

A

Fit for (a king)

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80
Q

Son nom ne me revient pas

A

I can’t place them

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81
Q

Redouter le pire

A

Fear the worst

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82
Q

S’attendre au pire

A

Expect the worse

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83
Q

Mettre les choses à plat

A

To get things straight

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84
Q

Mettre les pieds dans le plat

A

To put your foot in it

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85
Q

Avoir la dent creuse

A

To be hungry

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86
Q

Avoir/garder une dent contre qqn

A

To hold a grudge

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87
Q

Se les geler/peler

A

To freeze your arse off

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88
Q

Ne pas en revenir

A

To not be able to get over it, not believe it

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89
Q

Chanter en yaourt

A

To pretend to sing a language you don’t understand

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90
Q

Perdre le fil

A

To lose track

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91
Q

Il fait un froid de canard

A

It’s really cold

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92
Q

Ça caille !

A

It’s freezing

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93
Q

Il fait frisquet

A

It’s chilly

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94
Q

Tant que + ind

A

As long as 1

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95
Q

Pourvu que + subj

A

As long as 2

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96
Q

Prendre de l’ampleur

A

To be on the rise

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97
Q

Faire l’amalgame

A

To lump things together, to confuse things

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98
Q

Trouver chaussure à son pied

A

To find what you are looking for

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99
Q

Faire la loi

A

To make the rules, call the shots

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100
Q

Ressaisis-toi !

A

Get a grip! 1

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101
Q

Reprends-toi !

A

Get a grip! 2

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102
Q

Retirer une épine du pied

A

To help someone out of a jam

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103
Q

Trempé jusqu’aux os

A

Soaking wet 1

104
Q

Trempé comme une soupe

A

Soaking wet 2

105
Q

Coûter un bras

A

To cost an arm and a leg

106
Q

Croqueuse de diamants f

A

Gold digger

107
Q

Faire barrage à

A

To stand in the way of

108
Q

Être à la traîne (en matière de)

A

To lag behind, be behind on the times

109
Q

Courir dans tous les sens

A

To run around like a headless chicken

110
Q

Crier au loup

A

To cry wolf

111
Q

Cible facile f

A

Sitting duck

112
Q

Quête futile f

A

Wild goose chase 1

113
Q

Chasse au dahu f

A

Wild goose chase 2

114
Q

L’homme est un loup pour l’homme

A

Dog-eat-dog

115
Q

Vendre la mèche

A

To let the cat out of the bag

116
Q

Faire d’une pierre deux coups

A

To kill two birds with one stone

117
Q

Pleuvoir/tomber des cordes

A

To rain cats and dogs

118
Q

Avoir le coup

A

To have the knack, to know exactly how to do something

119
Q

Filer à l’anglaise

A

To sneak out, make your getaway

120
Q

À une encablure de

A

A stone throw’s away from

121
Q

A fortiori

A

All the more so, even more so

122
Q

In extremis

A

At the very last moment

123
Q

Intra muros

A

Within [city] itself

124
Q

Y compris

A

Including

125
Q

Partir du principe que

A

To work on the assumption that

126
Q

Brebis galeuse

A

Black sheep (figurative)

127
Q

Avoir sa confiance pour soi

A

To have a clear conscience

128
Q

Cela va de soi

A

That goes without saying

129
Q

Plus on est de fous

A

The more the merrier

130
Q

Mettre la puce à l’oreille

A

Put an idea in someone’s head

131
Q

Être dénué de

A

To be devoid of

132
Q

À bout de bras

A

Struggle to do something, single-handedly

133
Q

Être en proie à qqch

A

To be plagued by something

134
Q

Sans queue ni tête

A

Nonsensical

135
Q

Poser un lapin

A

To stand someone up

136
Q

Mettre de l’eau dans son vin

A

To back off/back down

137
Q

Se mettre sur son 31

A

To get dressed up to the nines

138
Q

Avoir la dalle

A

Could eat a horse

139
Q

…que dalle

A

Nothing, zilch

140
Q

Ne piger que dalle à

A

To not have a clue about

141
Q

Ne pas s’abaisser à répondre à qqch

A

To not dignify something with an answer

142
Q

Tourner au vinaigre

A

To turn sour (figurative)

143
Q

Coq-à-l’âne m

A

Change of subject

144
Q

Avoir maille à partir avec qqn

A

To have a bone to pick with someone

145
Q

Je vous rejoins

A

I share your opinion

146
Q

Être du ressort de

A

To be the responsibility of someone

147
Q

Venir à bout de qqn/qqch

A

To overcome smth/someone

148
Q

Filer le bourdon

A

To be a real downer

149
Q

La chance sourit aux audacieux

A

Fortune favours the brave

150
Q

Tous les trente-six du mois

A

Once in a blue moon

151
Q

J’y suis

A

I understand

152
Q

Vider son sac

A

To vent (your problems)

153
Q

Gagner sa croûte

A

To earn a living

154
Q

Mettre du beurre dans les épinards

A

To make a little extra money

155
Q

Avoir du pain sur la planche

A

To have a lot on your plate

156
Q

Aller au charbon

A

To get stuck in

157
Q

En avoir sa claque

A

To be fed up 1

158
Q

Être au taquet

A

To work flat out

159
Q

Avoir un poil dans la main

A

To never lift a finger

160
Q

Travailler d’arrache-pied

A

To work relentlessly

161
Q

Être payé au lance-pierre

A

To be paid peanut

162
Q

Faire le pont

A

To maximise your days off

163
Q

Mettre du coeur à l’ouvrage

A

To put your heart into it

164
Q

Être le/un comble

A

To take the biscuit

165
Q

Avoir le dessus

A

To have the upper hand

166
Q

Ne pas sourciller

A

To not bat an eye

167
Q

Je vais prendre un X

A

I would like an X (from a shop etc)

168
Q

Pedaler dans la semoule

A

To go around in circles

169
Q

Avoir la poisse

A

To have bad luck

170
Q

Se souvenir de qqch

A

To remember something

171
Q

Être inconnu de qqn

A

To be unknown to someone

172
Q

Avoir la banane

A

To have a smile all over your face

173
Q

Faire un doigt d’honneur

A

To give someone the middle finger

174
Q

Être comme les deux doigts de la main

A

To be joined at the hip

175
Q

Remuer ciel et terre

A

To move heaven and earth

176
Q

Lever les yeux au ciel

A

To roll your eyes

177
Q

Sens dessus dessous

A

Topsy-turvy

178
Q

Vieux de la vielle m

A

An old-hand

179
Q

Ne pas être sorti de l’auberge

A

To not be out of the woods yet

180
Q

Ce n’est pas le couteau le plus aiguisé du tiroir

A

He’s not the sharpest tool in the box

181
Q

Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid

A

Slow and steady wins the race

182
Q

Être chaud patate

A

To be super keen

183
Q

Tiens moi au courant

A

Let me know

184
Q

Faire ta princesse

A

To put on airs, to act spoilt

185
Q

Avoir la gueule de bois

A

To be hungover

186
Q

Avoir un coup de foudre

A

To fall in love

187
Q

Faire la grasse matinée

A

To have a lie-in

188
Q

Tomber dans les pommes

A

To faint

189
Q

Prendre un coup de vieux

A

To have aged

190
Q

Se prendre un râteau

A

To get shot down (by someone you’ve flirted with)

191
Q

Mettre son grain de sel (dans qqch)

A

To stick your oar in

192
Q

Être tatillon

A

To be pernickety

193
Q

Prendre son essor

A

To flourish

194
Q

A minima

A

At the minimum

195
Q

Le diable est dans les details

A

The devil is in the details

196
Q

Remuer le couteau dans la plaie

A

To rub something in someone’s face

197
Q

Creuser l’écart

A

To widen the gap

198
Q

C’est du jamais vu

A

This is some never-seen before stuff

199
Q

Être à l’honneur

A

To be in the spotlight, to take pride of place

200
Q

Dans l’absolu

A

Essentially, in essence

201
Q

Avoir le feu au plancher

A

To have trousers that are too short

202
Q

Réinventer la roue

A

To reinvent the wheel

203
Q

Être aux anges

A

To be over the moon

204
Q

La curiosité est un vilain défaut

A

Curiosity killed the cat

205
Q

Secouer le cocotier

A

Put the cat among the pigeons

206
Q

Contre le gré de qqn

A

Against someone’s wishes

207
Q

Nourrir l’ogre

A

Feed the beast

208
Q

Auréolé de gloire

A

Covered in glory

209
Q

Être au sommet de sa gloire

A

To be at the height of your fame/career

210
Q

Mettre le feu aux poudres

A

To stir up a hornet’s nest

211
Q

De la part de

A

On behalf of someone

212
Q

Caracoler en tête

A

To be well in the lead

213
Q

Faire marche arrière

A

To back-pedal (metaphorical)

214
Q

L’hôpital qui se fout de la charité

A

The pot calling the kettle black

215
Q

Passer l’arme à gauche

A

To kick the bucket

216
Q

Tomber dans le panneau

A

To fall into a trap (metaphorically)

217
Q

Soulever des montagnes

A

To move mountains

218
Q

Souffler ses bougies

A

To celebrate a birthday

219
Q

En jeu

A

At stake

220
Q

Par pitié !

A

For pity’s sake!

221
Q

Faire des économies

A

To cut corners

222
Q

En ce qui me concerne

A

As far as I’m concerned

223
Q

Une aiguille dans une botte de foin

A

A needle in a haystack

224
Q

Retenir la leçon

A

To learn your lesson

225
Q

Rire jaune

A

To give a forced laugh or to laugh grudgingly

226
Q

Avoir les nerfs à vif

A

To be on edge

227
Q

Avoir les nerfs d’acier

A

To have nerves of steel

228
Q

Jusqu’à la moelle

A

To the bone, through and through

229
Q

Aller droit au but

A

To cut to the chase

230
Q

Bon vent !

A

Good riddance or safe journey!

231
Q

N’en avoir rien à cirer (de qqch)

A

To not give a damn (about something)

232
Q

À titre comparatif

A

By comparison

233
Q

À tout hasard

A

By any chance

234
Q

Pour le coup

A

As it happens, in this [specific] case

235
Q

Bel et bien

A

Well and truly

236
Q

Convenir à

A

To sit right with someone

237
Q

Faire de la démagogie

A

To adopt a populist stance

238
Q

Garder la tête hors de l’eau

A

To keep your head above the water

239
Q

Partir en quenouille

A

To go down the pan

240
Q

Sous les feux de la rampe

A

In the limelight

241
Q

Avoir une épée de Damoclès au dessus de la tête

A

Be in a situation where you feel as if you are in constant danger

242
Q

En présentiel

A

Face-to-face

243
Q

Franchir un palier

A

To take something up a level/notch

244
Q

Rouler qqn dans la farine

A

To pull wool over someone’s eyes

245
Q

Rester sur le carreau

A

To be left high and dry

246
Q

Devoir une fière chandelle

A

To owe someone a lot

247
Q

À la bonne franquette

A

Simple, homely meal

248
Q

À tire-larigot

A

Like there’s no tomorrow

249
Q

Mettre en exergue

A

To highlight something

250
Q

Dresser l’oreille

A

To prick up your ears

251
Q

Mettre qqch en oeuvre

A

To use something, to implement something

252
Q

Avoir un sommeil de plomb

A

To be dead to the world

253
Q

Lien de cause à effet m

A

Cause and effect

254
Q

En avoir ras la casquette (de qqch)

A

To be fed up 2

255
Q

Rincer abondamment

A

To rinse thoroughly

256
Q

Se serrer la main

A

To shake hands

French (33 decks)

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