25 French Daily Expressions to You Want to Know

 

 

 

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

Avoir de la bouteille.

Literal translation: To have a bottle.

Figurative meaning: To mature, gain experience, or wisdom with age.

Origin: The idiom uses the metaphor of wine being similar to life experience one can maintain, indicating that they had spent a number of years inside a bottle, as opposed to the casks or barrels of their young days. 

Example: Ils ont décidé de promouvoir quelqu'un qui a plus de bouteille.

Example: They decided to promote someone who has more experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoir de la brioche.

Literal translation: To have a brioche.

Figurative meaning: To have a little bit of a tummy. To have a pot-belly.

Origin: The idiom depicts that having a tummy is like being a brioche that puffs up in an oven.

Example: J'ai bu dix tasses de café, alors maintenant j'ai de la brioche.

Example: I drank ten cups of coffee, so I have a bit of pot-belly now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoir la frite.

Literal translation: To have the French fry.

Figurative meaning: To feel great. To be full of energy.

Origin: Avoir la frite and avoir la patate mean to feel great, however avoir la patate is slightly more informal. Patate is a metaphor for head and avoir la frite is a derivative expression of avoir la patate.

Example: Qu'est-ce que je peux faire pour lui donner la frite? J'ai la frite et je veux qu'il a la frite aussi!

Example: What can I do to cheer him up? I feel great and I want him to feel great too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoir un coeur d'artichaut.

Literal translation: To have a heart of artichoke.

Figurative meaning: To fall in love easily.

Origin: The idiom compares a heart to the centre of the plant. The leaves of artichoke represent potential lovers. Someone who has a heart of artichoke has a little love to give to each candidate who seems worth to give interest.

Example: Bon j'ai un coeur d'artichaut. Chaque fois que je vais à un restaurant italien, je tombe amoureuse de tous les chefs italiens y même les sous-chefs et les serveurs.
Example: Well, I easily fall in love. Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I fall in love with all the Italian chefs and even with the sous-chefs and the waiters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoir une brioche au four.

Literal translation: To have a brioche in the oven.

Figurative meaning: To be pregnant.

Origin: The idiom is informal and portrays brioche as a baby.

Example: Je me suis rattrapé dans le moment! Nous avons eu une aventure d'un soir et maintenant j'ai une brioche au four!

Example: I caught up in the moment! We had a one-night stand and now I am pregnant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoir une faim de loup.

Literal translation: To have a wolf's hunger.

Figurative meaning: To be ravenous, famished. To be starving.

Origin: The idiom is informal and uses fable lectures as a reference.

Example: Je n'ai pas pris mon petit déj' aujourd'hui, du coup j'ai une faim de loup !

Example: I haven't had breakfast today, so I'm starving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avaler des couleuvres.

Literal translation: To swallow grass snakes.

Figurative meaning: To be so insulted that you cannot even reply.

Origin: Chateaubriand and Mme de Sévigné have often used this idiom, therefore it is estimated that the idiom was coined in the 19th century. Some malicious hosts have served their guest's food with this snake's poison. However, by the time the guest realises the treacherous bait, they would have been already swallowed it. Guests would remain silent because there is nothing to do in the very moment.​

 

Example: Tu es un peu méchant quand même! J'ai rien à dire, que avaler tes couleuvres.

Example: You are a little bit malicious, though! I have nothing to say but swallow your words!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bête comme chou.

Literal translation: Stupid like a cabbage.

Figurative meaning: Very stupid.

Origin: In the mid-nineteenth century, the expression was coined and still used to express when someone is incapable of understand even the simplest things.

Example: Il est bête comme chou. Il ne peut pas différencier entre un fruit frais et un fruit pourri.

Example: He is very stupid. He can't differentiate between a fresh fruit and a rotten fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

\

Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un

Literal translation: To break sugar on someone’s back.

Figurative meaning: To backbite. To speak unfavourably of a person who is not present.

Origin: In the late 19th century, sugar was a symbol of wealth; it was linked with negative notions when maids started to add more sugar to desserts in order to overshadow one and other.  The idiom derives from 'sucrer quelqu’un', which means 'to mistreate someone' and 'se sucrer de quelqu’un'  means 'to take someone for a fool'. 

Example: Dès qu’il sortait, ses collègues se mettaient à casser du sucre sur son dos.

Example: The minute he leaves, his coworkers would start breaking sugar on his back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheveux poivre et sel.

Literal translation: Pepper and salt hair.

Figurative meaning: Graying hair.

The idiom uses the metaphor of black pepper and white salt to describe greying hair, which is, in fact, a mix of dark and light hair.

Example: Une grand-mère mignonne, aux cheveux poivre et sel, donnait des bonbons et des chocolats.

Example: A cute grandmother with pepper and salt hair, was giving out candies and chocolates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crème de la crème.

Literal translation: Cream of the cream.

Figurative meaning: The very best.

Example: Elle est la crème de la crème! Elle dirige le IMF, elle est une patrone prospère, elle est belle, elle est une mère attentionnée!

Example: She is the crème de la crème! She runs the IMF, she is a prosperous boss, she is beautiful, she is a caring mum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Étre haut comme trois pommes.

Literal translation: To be three apples tall.

Figurative meaning: To be knee-high to a grasshopper.

Example: Tu es haut comme trois pommes.

Example: You are knee-high to a grasshopper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Étre serrés comme des sardines.

Literal translation: To be packed like sardines.

Figurative meaning: To get stuck in a place full of people.

Example: Tu travailles pour des haricots, ils vont fermer la société et ils ne te paieront pas.

Example: You are working in vain, they will shut down the company and they won't pay you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Étre tout sucre, tout miel.

Literal translation: To be all sugar, all honey.

Figurative meaning: To be overly affable, considerate, polite.

Origin: The idiom was coined in the 17th century. The idiom implies that sugar and honey together, seem suspiciously too sweet, as to what kind of bitterness is being concealed by layers of insincerity. It is mostly used ironically, to point out that such person hides negative feelings behind a mask.

Example: Quand ils ont des invités, elle est tout sucre tout miel, mais dès qu’ils sont seuls, elle commence à jeter des choses avec colère.

Example: When they have company, she’s all sugar all honey, but as soon as they’re alone, she starts to throw some stuff with anger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faire chou blanc.

Literal translation: To do a white cabbage.

Figurative meaning: To fail, to not pass.

Example: J'ai fait chou blanc et perdu la partie. Maintenant, je dois l'inviter à dîner.

Example: I failed and lost the game. Now, I need to buy him a dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Les carottes sont cuites!

Literal translation: The carrots are cooked!

Figurative meaning: There is nothing to do about it! situation can’t be changed!

Example: Bah, on a déjà perdu! Les carottes sont cuites!

Example: Well, we already lost! There is nothing to do about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mettre son grain de sel.

Literal translation: To put in one’s grain of salt.

Figurative meaning: To interfere a conversation or situation. To add one’s two cents.

Origin: Originally, salt symbolised play on words which would liven up a conversation, however, in time, it evolved to mean a comment made favouring whoever said it. The idiom entered French dictionaries in 1823.

Example: J'ai déjà choisi quelle couleur nous allions peindre les murs mais toujours tu dois mettre ton grain de sel la dernière minute et abîmer tout!

Example: I already have chosen which colour we were going to paint the walls but you always have to interfere last minute and ruin everything!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mettre de l’eau dans son vin.

Literal translation: To put water in one’s wine.

Figurative meaning: To loosen one’s demands or ambitions, to mellow, to adopt a more moderate stand on an issue. To stay on the good side of someone.

Origin: The idiom dates back to the sixteenth century.

Example: Mon patron s'emporte facilement mais j'essaie de rester en bons termes avec lui. Je mets de l’eau dans mon vin.

Example: My boss easily get angry but I try to be on good terms with him. I stay on the good side of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mettre tous les oeufs dans le même panier.

Literal translation: To put all the eggs in one basket.

Figurative meaning: To only have one hope.

Example: Tu mets tous tes oeufs dans le même panier et tu espères que tout va bien.

Example: You only hope and count on one single person and you hope everything goes right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon petit chou!

Literal translation: My little cabbage!

Figurative meaning: Honey, darling, dear!

Example: Mon petit chou! Tes lèvres ont la couleur des cerises et ton sourire illumine mon monde.

Example: My darling! Your lips have the colour of cherries and your smile lights my world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quelle asperge!

Literal translation: What an asparagus!

Figurative meaning: What a tall and thin guy/woman!

Origin: In the mid-nineteenth century, the idiom became famous as Louis XIV assigned his gardener in chief to only cultivate asparagus in order to eat asparagus all year.

Example: Quelle asperge! Il peut être confondu avec un réverbère.

Example: What a tall and thin guy! He can be mistaken for a street light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raconter des salades.

Literal translation: To tell some salads.

Figurative meaning: To lie, to tell lies and fancy stories.

A salad is a blend of various ingredients accompanied by usually a dressing. In this case, the dressing serves as a convincing tone in speech.

Example: Il te racontes des salades.

Example: He is lying to you.

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

Ras-le-bol.

Literal translation: To have a bowl full of it.

Figurative meaning: To be fed up. To have it up to here.

The expression refers to bowl as a head. As a bowl cannot be filled with more soup than it's capacity, human brain can't deal with problems over it's capacity. 

Example: J'en ai ras le bol! Tu ne nettoies pas la machine à cappuccino et en plus, tu arrives à renverser la moitié du café sur le sol et le reste sur plan de travail!

Example: I've had it up to here! You don't clean the espresso machine and on top of that, you also manage to spill half of your coffee on the floor and the rest on the kitchen counter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travailler pour les haricots.

Literal translation: To work for the carrots.

Figurative meaning: To work in vain, to spin one's wheels.

Example: Tu travailles pour des haricots, ils vont fermer la société et ils ne te paieront pas.

Example: You are working in vain, they will shut down the company and they won't pay you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendre sa salade.

Literal translation: To sell his/her salad.

Figurative meaning: To try to persuade, to lie, to submit random proposals to convince.

Nowadays the saying is also used as a synonym of lying.

Origin: In the 20th century, the vendors at flea markets were particularly good at convincing people by lying.

Example: Tous les politiciens vendent leurs salades.

Example: All the politicians lie.

 

​ ​​