Chronicles, Stories & Books by a French-American Writer
METTRE LES PIEDS DANS LE PLAT
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Literally: to put one’s feet in the dish
Best equivalent: to mess up
When someone starts talking in a very unfiltered way about something everybody was careful to avoid, the French say he or she met les pieds dans le plat.
See you tomorrow for the letter Q, part of the A to Z challenge!
S’OCCUPER (OU) SE MÊLER DE SES OIGNONS
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Literally: to care about one’s own onions
Best equivalent: mind one’s own business
The expression could have American origins. In the 1920s, many onion species grew in the U.S. People who worked in this field developed skills to learn how to distinguish the different kinds. Soon, they minded about their particular species, which became their exclusive business. Who knows for sure? What is sure, however, is that the French expression is used to remind someone to mind her/his own business.
The French can also say: Ce ne sont pas tes oignons. Literally: they are not your onions. In both expressions, oignons never designate onions but anything related to personal business.
See you tomorrow for the letter P, part of the A to Z challenge!
LES DOIGTS DANS LE NEZ
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Literally: fingers in the nose
Best equivalent: hands down
When something is very easy to do, the French often say: les doigts dans le nez, implying that it’s so simple you have time to put your fingers in your nose while accomplishing the task. Here in the States, we are a little less graphic 🙂
See you tomorrow for the letter O, part of the A to Z challenge!
GRENOUILLE DE BÉNITIER
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Literally: Church font’s frog
The expression is used to describe someone who is very churchy.
Would we say a zealot in English?
Tell me.
See you on Monday for the letter H, part of the A to Z Challenge!
P.S. Yesterday, one of the biggest names of the French musical scene died. Jacques Higelin was a songwriter and a musician, but also an actor and a human rights’ activist. He played a big role in my high school life. Pars is the song that brought him visibility, even though he had already started his long musical career. This song was also the soundtrack on many of many of my evenings. Often, American people have told me that they like French songs, even if they don’t understand the lyrics. If you have a few minutes, listen to Pars. Emotion-packed, the song carries a distinct French flavor and yet feels as fresh as when I played it on my turntable. Again. Again. And again.
Thank you for this song and the many others you wrote, Monsieur Higelin.
AVOIR LA FRITE
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Literally: To have the French fry (although usually used in plural, the expression uses the singular of fries)
Best equivalent: To be in top form
See you tomorrow for the letter G, part of the A to Z Challenge!
ÊTRE MAL BARRÉ
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From the French noun ‘barre,’ which in the nautical field means helm, wheel, tiller.
Best equivalent: Not standing a chance
The expression used in two sentences:
Je suis mal barré(e): I’m off to a bad start
C’est mal barré : It’s got off to a bad start
See you tomorrow for the letter F, part of the A to Z Challenge!
AVOIR LA DALLE
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Literally: Have the stone slab
Best equivalent: Be famished
A dalle in French is a stone slab, but until the 16th century, it meant gutter or trough.
In slang, dalle also designated the throat.
By extension, “avoir la dalle” means to be very hungry.
Another common French expression, also using the noun dalle is “se rincer la dalle.” Rincer means to rinse. By extension, “se rincer la dalle” means to drink.
See you tomorrow for the letter E, part of the A to Z Challenge!
CHANTER COMME UNE CASSEROLE
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Literally: Sing like a saucepan
Best equivalent: Sing out of tune
The expression likely comes from the banging of pans against each other, creating a loud unpleasant sound.
See you tomorrow for the letter D, part of the A to Z Challenge!
BROYER DU NOIR
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For the longest time, people thought that moods grew from the grinding of the black bile secreted in the stomach. In the 19th century, the expression “broyer du noir” started to mean feeling depressed.
There is actually another French expression around the bile. Se faire de la bile means to worry.
Perfect equivalent: Feel blue or Have the blues
See you tomorrow for the letter C, part of the A to Z Challenge!
AVALER DES COULEUVRES
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Literally: Swallow garter snakes
Best equivalent: Drink the Kool-Aid
This post is the first of twenty-six that starts the 2018 A to Z Challenge. Each will be published every day but Sunday, for the entire month of April.
Today is an exception. Maybe because it is April Fool’s Day, Poisson d’Avril for the French.
I already wrote about the twist French give to the tradition of practical jokes. This post is from 2011, when none of you knew me 🙂
See you tomorrow for the letter B!
Evelyne Holingue 