YOYOTER DE LA CAFETIÈRE
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Literally: playing yo-yo with the coffee maker
Best equivalent: to have a screw loose
In French une cafetière is a coffee maker, but in slang it designates the head or the brain. Yoyoter is a fabricated verb based on the yo-yo game, described as simple. By extension, a person with a simple mind, someone who says strange things can be portrayed as yoyoter de la cafetière.
See you on Monday for the letter Z, the last letter for the A to Z challenge!
Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend!
Evelyne Holingue 
HA! I like this. This is the kind of thing I will use, starting with “you know, the French have a saying…”
Anything to promote the French language and culture:)
With the same meaning, you can also say “Yoyoter de la touffe.” Touffe being tuft, but hair in this context. Just suggesting since “touffe” is easier to say than “cafetière.”
I love that idea!
Thanks for stopping by, Lisa. I peeked at your blog and since I love plants and flowers and anything “gardeny,” I like what I saw.
I like it. We could translate that directly to English and everyone would get its meaning immediately.
As I told Dan, above, anything to promote these vivid and often funny French expressions:)
It makes sense when you explain that the word for “coffee maker” in slang means head and/or brain. Weekends In Maine
There are tons of words in French that take a whole different meaning, whether used in proper French or slang. A coffee maker for a head or brain doesn’t make sense to a non native speaker without an explanation, I agree 🙂
Would definitely have to have a screw loose to be playing yo yo with a cafetiere. 😄
I didn’t think of the possibility 🙂
Lol
I think I’ll use that one. In English so everyone around here can understand.
Keep me posted:)