French idioms & expressions
【法文學習小筆記：法文成語和慣用語_2025/4/30】
▍"Perdre la boule"
Literal meaning: "To lose your ball"
What it really means: To lose your head
▍"Ce n'est pas la mer à boire"
中譯：這並非難事。
Literal meaning: "It's not like you have to drink the ocean"
What it really means: It's not difficult
▍"Faire la grasse matinée"
Literal meaning: "To have a fat morning"
What it really means: To sleep in
▍"Passer une nuit blanche"
中譯：熬夜
Literal meaning: "To have a white night"
What it really means: To stay up / awake all night (usually on purpose, not because of insomnia)
▍"Passer un mauvais quart d'heure"
中譯：遇上難關
Literal meaning: "To have a bad quarter of an hour"
What it really means: A short, difficult period in one's life
▍"Dormir à la belle étoile"
Literal meaning: "To sleep in the pretty star"
What it really means: To sleep outside
▍"Être blanc comme neige"
Literal meaning: "To be as white as snow"
What it really means: To be completely innocent
▍"Faire boule de neige"
Literal meaning: "To make like a ball of snow"
What it really means: To get bigger / more important
▍"Faire du chemin / faire son chemin"
中譯：進步；進展
Literal meaning: "To go along the path / to go along your path"
What it really means: To make progress
▍"Mordre la poussière"
中譯：嚐到失敗
Literal meaning: "To bite the dust"
What it really means: To suffer a defeat
▍"Traîner quelqu'un dans la boue"
中譯：玷汙某人的名譽
Literal meaning: "To drag someone through the mud"
What it really means: To dirty someone's reputation
▍"Se perdre les chèvres"
Literal meaning: "To lose your goats"
What it really means: To forget what you were just saying, or lose your place in a conversation. (This isn't widely used, but there are goats!)
▍À bon chat, bon rat (you’ve met your match)
中譯：棋逢對手；旗鼓相當
i.e. J’ai essayé de gagner le jeu, mais enfin, à bon chat, bon rat. J’ai perdu. =
I tried to win the game, but in the end, I met my match. I lost.
▍Poser un lapin à quelqu’un (to stand up to someone)
中譯：爽約
A word-by-word translation would be “to put a rabbit to someone.” The idiom means to stand someone up. It could be a date or an appointment. This expression comes from 19th-century French slang where the word lapin (rabbit) meant a “refusal of payment.”
J’avais rendez-vous avec Marie, mais elle m’a posé un lapin. = I had a date with Marie, but she stood me up.
▍Il pleut des cordes (It’s raining intensely)
中譯：下暴雨
i.e. Je reste ici! Il pleut des cordes! = I’m staying here! It’s raining cats and dogs!
▍Une goutte d’eau dans la mer (a very small amount)
中譯：滄海一粟
The direct meaning of une goutte d’eau dans la mer is “a drop of water in the ocean.” English uses “a drop in the bucket” to express a small, negligible amount. Nevertheless, you can’t have a bucket or an ocean full of water unless you start with a drop.
J’économise un peu chaque semaine, mais ce n’est qu’une goutte d’eau dans la mer! = I save a little each week, but it’s only a drop of water in the ocean!
▍Lancer une bouteille à la mer (call for help)
Word-for-word, lancer une bouteille à la mer means “to throw a bottle to the sea.” Think about the idea of a shipwrecked passenger writing a message in a bottle and throwing it out into the ocean to ask for help. With that in mind, it’s easy to remember its figurative expression: to call for help. If you can’t send out an SOS, a bottle is the next best thing!
Je ne sais plus quoi faire … je lancerai une bouteille à la mer. = I don’t know what to do anymore … I will send out an SOS!
▍Ce n’est pas la mer à boire (it’s not that much to ask)
The direct translation of ce n’est pas la mer à boire is “it’s not the ocean to drink.” You might use this to express that something is not that much to ask. It might be used to encourage someone that a task really isn’t a big deal.
Courage! C’est seulement un devoir de quatre pages. Ce n’est pas la mer à boire.= Chin up! It’s only a four page paper. It’s not asking the impossible.
▍Avoir du vent dans les voiles (being drunk)
中譯：喝醉
i.e. Marc avait du vent dans les voiles hier soir. =
Marc was three sheets to the wind last night.
▍Être en pleine forme (full of energy and feeling great)
A verbatim translation of être en pleine forme would be “to be in full shape.” This would be a perfect expression for a day when you simply feel great and are full of energy. It’s been a popular way to talk about your good mood since the 20th century.
J’étais très fatiguée hier, mais ce matin je suis en pleine forme. = I was really tired last night, but this morning I feel great!
▍Filer à l’anglaise (leave a party without saying goodbye)
Taking each word’s meaning in this phrase, it means “to leave in the English style.” English speakers use a variety of similar expressions with different nationalities, such as “French exit” or “Irish exit,” which mean “to slip out of a social gathering without saying goodbye.”
La jeune fille a filé à l’anglaise avant dix heures. = The young girl slipped out before ten o’clock.
Some linguists point to a non-literal origin of the phrase, with the term anglaiser being an old synonym for “to steal.” A thief would obviously want to leave without being noticed. Perhaps there is some connection with the English expression “to steal away.”
▍Se faire des cheveux blancs (worrying excessively)
中譯：憂心忡忡
The literal phrase, se faire des cheveux blancs means “to make white hair on oneself.” It’s not far from what you might think—if someone claims to be getting gray hairs, it’s because they are worrying excessively.
Il est si malade… Je me fais des cheveux blancs pour lui. = He’s so ill. I’m worried sick about him.
▍Se mettre sur son trente-et-un (all dressed up)
中譯：盛裝
i.e. Elle s’est mise sur son trente-et-un pour assister au concert.
= She got dressed to the nines to go to the concert.
▍Bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet (two similar choices)
The meaning of bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet, is a rather ungrammatical and repetitive “white hat and hat white.” Isn’t that the same thing? Just like “six of one, half dozen of the other,” this expression refers to two choices that are essentially the same. It won’t matter which you choose, so it’s almost like having no choice to make at all.
Avant la classe ou après, c’est bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet. = Before class or after, it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.
▍Ne pas être dans son assiette (not feeling well)
中譯：不舒服
i.e. Luc ne vient pas. Il m’a dit qu’il n’est pas dans son assiette aujourd’hui. = Luc isn’t coming. He told me that he’s a little out of sorts today.
▍Avoir la pêche (in high spirits)
Word-for-word, avoir la pêche translates to “to have the peach.” This is a casual and playful way to say you are in high spirits. The expression is not vulgar, but it’s not one for a formal situation. It’s been around a long time, but scholars aren’t sure whether it came from the expression for a literal pêche (peach), which is a juicy and sweet fruit that could give you a lot of energy, or whether the word evolved from another word altogether over time.
Elle dansait sur cette photo … elle avait la pêche! = She was dancing in this photo … she was all fired up!
▍Être haut comme trois pommes (short stature)
中譯：身材嬌小
A close translation of être haut comme trois pommes is “to be tall like three apples.” This is a figurative way to call someone short. Imagine three apples stacked up on top of each other. Still, even short people in French must be fairly tall, compared to the idiom in English, “knee-high to a grasshopper.”
Il est haut comme trois pommes mais il joue très bien déjà au foot! = He’s so tiny, but he already plays soccer so well!
▍Ramener sa fraise (be in someone’s business)
A direct translation of ramener sa fraise is “to bring one’s strawberry.” This expression, likely over a century old, means about the same thing as “to stick your nose in.” The use of fraise (strawberry) as a replacement for tête (head), brings it closer to the English meaning of “to stick your head into someone’s affairs where it’s not wanted.”
If this one is used as an order, such as Ramène ta fraise!, the speaker wants you to hurry up!
▍S’occuper de ses oignons (mind your own business)
中譯：別多管閒事
Directly translated, s’occuper de ses oignons means “to busy oneself with his or her onions.” You might tell someone to “pay attention to their own onions” if you want them to mind their own business.
Occupe-toi de tes oignons! Je n’ai pas besoin de ton aide. = Mind your business! I don’t need your help.
▍Mettre son grain de sel (give your opinion)
中譯：提出想法
The meaning of mettre son grain de sel means “to put one’s grain of salt.” This is similar to “give your two cents” and implies a situation where someone shares their opinion, even if it is unsolicited. Someone might offer their two cents, or a grain of salt, which implies that it isn’t of tremendous value, but the recipient is welcome to it.
Je ne t’ai pas invité à mettre ton grain de sel. = I did not invite you to put your two cents in.
▍Avoir du pain sur la planche (have a lot of work to do)
中譯：有一堆工作
The literal meaning of avoir du pain sur la planche is “to have some bread on the board.” If you’re eating, it might seem like a pleasant situation, but if you’re the baker, you might have a lot of work to do.
Je veux bien sortir, mais j’ai du pain sur la planche ce soir. = I want to go out, but I have a lot on my plate tonight.
Before the 20th century, this expression could have meant simply that one had the proper resources and was not lacking, since bread was a main form of sustenance. As commercial bakeries developed, a baker having multiple loaves of bread on the board still had work to do to finish them.
▍Gagner son pain à la sueur de son front (to work hard)
中譯：工作勤奮
This bread idiom, gagner son pain à la sueur de son front, means “to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow.” Variations of this expression have been used since Biblical times, meaning “to work hard and physically labor for a living.”
Mon grand-père a toujours gagné son pain à la sueur de son front, comme agriculteur. = My grandfather has always earned his living by the sweat of his brow, as a farmer.
【法文學習小筆記_2025/4/30】
French idioms & expressions ( Part II )
▍avoir le coup de foudre : love at first sight / 一見鍾情
▍les carottes sont cuites : it’s over for good / 生米煮成熟飯
▍poser un lapin : to be stood up
▍faire la grasse matinée : a long sleep
▍raconter des salades : spinning yarns
▍en faire tout un fromage : to make a big deal about something that is not worth giving much thought to
▍tomber dans les pommes : faint / 暈倒
▍les doigts dans le nez : to do something easily
▍rouler dans la farine : to get scammed
▍l’habit ne fait pas le moine : don’t judge a book by its cover / 不要以貌取人
▍faire un froid de canard : cold weather / 天氣冷
▍yeux de merlan frit : begging puppy dog eyes
▍avoir un oursin dans le portefeuille : someone who is stingy / 小氣鬼
▍vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué count your chickens before they’re hatched / 凡事不要期望過早或過高。
▍ne pas faire d’omelette sans casser des oeufs : no pain, no gain / 無不勞而獲之事
▍donner sa langue au chat : cat’s got my tongue
▍devoir une fière chandelle : owe someone big time
▍avoir la chair de poule : goosebumps / 起雞皮疙瘩
▍s’occuper de ses oignons : mind your own business
▍avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre : eyes are bigger than your stomach
▍ne pas y aller de main morte : to give 100% / 全力以赴
▍se serrer la ceinture : be careful with money
▍prendre ses jambes à son cou : run for your life
▍la goutte d’eau qui fait déborder le vase : the last straw / 最後一根稻草
▍avoir le cafard : feel depressed / 沮喪
▍avoir le coeur sur la main : wear your heart on your sleeve
▍chercher midi à quatorze heures : making something difficult
▍filer à l’anglaise : sneak out / 溜走
▍C'est du gâteau : 很簡單；像一塊小蛋糕
Have you ever been asked to complete a task that so easy that it didn’t feel like a task at all? Here’s the perfect French phrase for you: “c’est du gâteau!”
Meaning: This literally translates to “it is cake”. Closely related to the English idiom, describing something as a “piece of cake,” “c’est du gâteau” can be said for describing a task easy to be executed.
Example: J’ai fini mon projet ! C’était du gâteau ! (I finished my project! It was so easy!)
▍Au ras des pâquerettes
Tired of simply saying that something doesn’t meet your expectations? Try saying it the French way: “au ras des pâquerettes”.
Meaning: This literally means “at the level of daisies”, which implies low in quality.
Au ras des paquerettes
Example: Il a un humour au ras des pâquerettes. (He has a very dry, low-level humor.)
Origin: The French correlate low quality with the low lying height of daisies flowers.
▍Mettre la main à la pâte
Want to ask someone to help out? Try saying “mettre la main à la pâte”.
Literal Meaning: This French idiom means “to put the hand in the dough”, which figuratively means helping out or actively participating.
Example: Nous devons tous mettre la main à la pâte. (We all have to contribute)
▍Grosso Modo 大約地；大概地
Meaning: “Grosso modo” means “roughly” or “approximately”.
Example: Dis-moi grosso modo ce que tu en penses. (Tell me roughly what you think.)
▍Chacun voit midi à sa porte
Want to convey that we can’t really judge people’s feelings and judgments because they are up to them? Here’s the phrase for you: “Chacun voit midi à sa porte”.
Meaning: Literally translating to “everyone sees noon at his door”, this expression means that people tend to see things in their own ways, and thus you can’t enforce your opinion on them.
Example: Inutile de discuter, chacun voit midi à sa porte. (It’s pointless to argue, everyone sees things in their own way.)
▍ Avoir le cafard
Meaning: The phrase literally means “to have the cockroach” but is used to express “feeling low” or “feeling depressed”.
Example: Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais j’ai le cafard. (I don’t know why, but I’m feeling low.)
▍Être un boute-en-train
Would you like to describe someone as cheerful and entertaining? “Être un boute-en-train” will be perfect for you.
Meaning: This literally translates “to be the end-in-the-train”, and figuratively means “being the life of the party”. You can use it to describe a cheerful, upbeat person who has good humor.
Example: “Elle a toujours été une boute-en-train”. (She was always the life of the party.)
▍Raconter des salades
Want to describe people who keep telling lies? Use the idiom “Raconter des salades”.
Meaning: “Raconter des salades” literally means “to tell salads”, which figuratively means making things up to create lies.
Example: “Si elle s’est plantée c’est parce qu’elle n’arrêtait pas de raconter des salades”. (If she messed up it’s because she kept telling lies.)
▍Passer un savon
Worried about getting scolded? Then your worry is all about getting “un savon”.
Meaning: This French expression literally means “to pass soap”, and figuratively means “giving someone a sermon” or “argue with someone strictly”.
Example: “L’écolier savait qu’il allait se faire passer un savon pour ses notes”. (The schoolboy knew he was going to get yelled at for his grades.)
