Day 2562 (Thursday) 13th June 2024

This is Monaco – it’s so ugly!

There was a cruise ship in the bay again today and the weather was lovely, dare I hope that summer has finally begun.

We had a lovely lazy day, Huw did a few chores around the flat and I sunbathed for a few hours. Badger was eating the flowers I was trying to deadhead.

Here are the last of the French idioms…

ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard – nothing to write home about
(Literal Translation: not to break three legs at a duck

ne pas être sorti de l’auberge – not to be out of the woods
Literal Translation: not to be out of the inn

pas avoir de quoi fouetter un chat – no need to get your knickers in a twist
Literal Translation: nothing to whip a cat about

passer du coq à l’âne – to jump from pillar to post
Literal Translation: to switch from the rooster to the donkey

passer l'arme à gauche – to kick the bucket
Literal Translation: to pass your weapon on the left side

péter un câble – to blow a fuse
Literal Translation: to break a wire

petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid – little strokes fell great oaks
Literal Translation: little by little, the bird builds his nest

pipi de chat – not important
Literal Translation: cat pee
You could use this French idiom to console a friend. Spilled some wine on your favorite shirt? C'est du pipi de chat.

plumer quelqu'un – to take somebody to the cleaner's
Literal Translation: to pluck somebody

poser un lapin – to stand someone up
Literal Translation: to put a rabbit down

prendre ses jambes à son cou – to take your heels
Literal Translation: to take your legs up to your neck

presser quelqu'un comme un citron – to squeeze somebody dry
Literal Translation: to sueeze somebody like a lemon

quand les poules auront des dents – when pigs fly
Literal Translation: when chickens have teeth

Quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent. – When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Literal Translation: When the cat isn't there, the mice dance.

à quelque chose malheur est bon – every cloud has a silver lining
Literal Translation: misfortune has to be good for something

qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf – give somebody an inch and he/she will take a mile
Literal Translation: someone who steals an egg steals an ox

raconter des salades – to spin a yarn
Literal Translation: to tell salads

ramener sa fraise – to stick your oar in
Literal Translation: to bring your strawberry back

rendre l'âme – to give up the ghost
Literal Translation: to give the soul back

revenir à ses moutons – to get back on topic
Literal Translation: to go back to one’s sheep

rouler quelqu’un dans la farine – to cook somebody's goose
Literal Translation: to make somebody roll up into flour

se jeter dans la gueule du loup – to throw oneself in the lion's den
Literal Translation: to throw oneself in the wolf's mouth

se mettre sur son 31 – to be dressed up to the nines
Literal Translation: to put yourself on your 31

se noyer dans un verre d'eau – to be as helpless as a babe
Literal Translation: to drown in a glass of water

se serrer la ceinture – to tighten one’s belt
Literal Translation: to tighten one’s belt

s’occuper de ses oignons – to mind your own business
Literal Translation: to look after your onions

un tien vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras – a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Literal Translation: one which is yours is better than two that will be yours

tomber dans le panneau – to fall into the trap
Literal Translation: to fall into the sign

tomber dans les pommes – to faint
Literal Translation: to fall in the apples

tourner au vinaigre – to turn sour
Literal Translation: to turn into vinegar

traîner quelqu’un dans la boue – to drag somebody’s name in the mud
Literal Translation: to drag somebody in the mud

French Word of the Day: Flipper

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

This French word does not have anything to do with marine mammals.

Why do I need to know flipper?

Because this anglicism is used a bit differently in French than it would be in English.

What does it mean?

Flipper - roughly pronounced flea-pay - is a colloquial French term and these days it means to be upset or overly anxious. People often use it similarly to the English expression ‘to freak out’.

As you may have expected, the term is an anglicism, and it comes from the English word ‘to flip’. 

However, in French it does not mean to literally flip something over - you would use renverser for that. It comes from a different usage of the word ‘flip’, more in line with ‘losing one’s head’.

The word started being popular in France in the 1970s, and at that time it was almost exclusively used to describe the experience of ‘freaking out’ or having a bad trip after taking LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, according to Le Figaro.

Over time, it started to refer to the period of depression many people experience after feelings of euphoria when high, as well as the anxiety that one might feel due to withdrawal. 

Nowadays, people mainly use it to refer to any irrational response. You can also call something flippant (shocking).

A more formal synonym for flipper might be paniquer.

And if you find yourself in an arcade, you may hear the word a few times, as flipper is also the French term for a pinball machine.

Use it like this

Arrête de flipper, on va être à l'heure.  - Stop freaking out, we’re going to be on time.

Les résultats des élections m'ont vraiment fait flipper. Mes amis n'ont pas été surpris pour autant. - The results of the election really freaked me out. My friends weren't surprised though.

J'ai flippé en regardant le film d'horreur. - I freaked out when I was watching the horror movie.