Sunday, January 8, 2017

FrenchIdioms

Avoir d’autre chats à fouetter - to have other fish to fry (literally to have other cats to whip)

Poser un lapin - to stand somebody up (literally to place a rabbit)

Avoir le cafard - to be depressed (literally to have the cockroach)

Avoir la gueule de bois - to have a hangover (literally to have a wooden face)

Boire comme un trou - to drink like a fish (literally to drink like a hole)

S’occuper de ses oignons - mind your  business (literally take care of your onions)

Couter les yeux de la tête (or couter la peau des fesses) - to cost an arm and a leg (literally to cost the eyes from your head [or the skin off your ass])

Appeler un chat un chat - to call a spade a spade (literally to call a cat a cat)

Haut comme trois pommes - to be small (literally three apples tall, like the Smurfs!)

Raconter des salads - to tell lies (literally to tell salads)

That’s ten. There are countless idioms just as in English.  I’d suggest perhaps the books Merde! or Merde Encore! or a book specifically on idioms if you’d like to learn about some more.  I’m sure there’s no shortage of them to be found via Google either.


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