"C'est un navet"
Literal meaning: "It's a bomb"
Meaning in converastion: It's bad
Example:"How was that new Vinn Diesel movie?" "Oh that piece of garbage? It was a bomb!"
"Se mettre sur son trente-et-un"
Literal meaning: "To put oneself on one's thirty-one"
Meaning in converastion: To be dressed to the nines
Example:"Check out his tuxedo. He really put on his thirty-one tonight!"
"Avoir l'espirt de l'escalier"
Literal meaning: "To have the wit of a staircase"
Meaning in converastion: To think of a comeback or retort too late (This is said to occur while on the way out of a party or event, thus the staircase)
Example:"I couldn't think of a comeback, but then as I was leaving I knew that I should have used George Costanza's 'Jerk Store' insult! I had the wit of the staircase!"
"L'air de rien"
Literal meaning: "The air of nothing"
Meaning in converastion: The attitude of fake indifference, or just faked indifference
Example:"She wanted to look cool during the perforamnce artist's piece. So she affected the air of nothing even when the artist lit himself on fire."
"Coup de l'oiel"
Literal meaning: "Hit of the eye"
Meaning in converastion: A quick glance
Example:"He gave her a hit of the eye as she walked through the lobbey."
"Mal aux cheveaux"
Literal meaning: "Sick/bad in the hair"
Meaning in converastion: Hungover
Example:"I drank 9 beers last night, and now I'm feeling a litte bad in the hair. Get me some asprin."
"J'ai une poupee dans le tiroir"
Literal meaning: "I have a doll in the drawer"
Meaning in converastion: Pregnant
Example:"She looks tiny now, but she's got a doll in the drawer..."
"C'est un gateau"
Literal meaning: "It's a cake"
Meaning in converastion: It's easy
Example:"Oh man that intro chemistry class is so easy! It's a cake!"
"Chacun a son gout"
Literal meaning: "Each to his taste"
Meaning in converastion: 'To each his own'
Example:"I'm not a huge fan of Yoko's music, but each to his taste, I guess."
"Coup de foudre"
Literal meaning: "Clap of lightning"
Meaning in converastion: Love at first sight
Example:"When he first saw her, he knew it was a clap of lightning. Two weeks later, they were married."
"Mon oeil!"
Literal meaning: "My eye!"
Meaning in converastion: 'I see through that.' 'Yeah, right.'
Example:"You didn't have any cookies? My eye!"
"Quelle mouche te pique?"
Literal meaning: "What fly is biting you?"
Meaning in converastion: What's annoying you?
Example:"Yikes, you've been snappy all day. What fly is biting you?"
"J'ai d'autres chats à fouetter"
Literal meaning: "I have other cats to whip"
Meaning in converastion: 'I have other fish to fry'
Example:"Sorry that I can't stay longer, but I've got other cats to whip."
"Il ne faut pas pousser meme dans les orties"
Literal meaning: "It's not necesary to push grandma in the nettles"
Meaning in converastion: 'That's taking it too far'
Example:"Mom, please don't cook a four course meal for me. I'm not that hungry, and it's not necessary to push grandma in the nettles."
"J'ai le cul borde de nuilles"
Literal meaning: "My ass is lined with noodles"
Meaning in converastion: I'm lucky.
Example:"I just won $100 in the lottery! My ass is lined with noodles!"
"Avoir du pain sur la planche"
Literal meaning: "To have bread on the cutting board"
Meaning in converastion: 'To have a lot of things/work to do.'
Example:"Today I have to pick up the laundry, get groceries, go to the gym, and drop off the kids at school. I have a lot of bread on the cutting board."
"Avoir la chaire de poule."
Literal meaning: "To have chicken flesh"
Meaning in converastion: Goosebumps, or Gooseflesh
Example:"When the cold wind blew down from the mountaintop, I was so cold I had chicken flesh all over my arms."
"Avoir la gueule de bois"
Literal meaning: "To have a wooden face/mouth" ('Gueule' only refers to animals' mouths)
Meaning in converastion: To be hungover.
Example:"I drank eleven martinis tonight. I have a wooden face today, and I really need some water."
"Avoir une dent creuse"
Literal meaning: "To have a hollow tooth"
Meaning in converastion: To be hungry.
Example:"I haven't eaten anything for about eight hours. I've got a hollow tooth now, and could really use a bite to eat."
“Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez”
Literal meaning: “To have mustard rising up to your nose”
Meaning in conversation: To feel yourself become angry.
Example:“The mustard was rising up to my nose the whole time that they were making fun of me”
“En avoir ras le bol.”
Literal meaning: “To have a bowl filled to the brim (with something)”
Meaning in conversation: To be fed up with something
Example:“My bowl is filled to the brim with these spam emails that come in every day”
“Avoir un chat dans la gorge”
Literal meaning: “To have a cat in one’s throat”
Meaning in conversation: To be hoarse
Example:“I woke up feeling ill this morning. I have a cough, and I have a cat in my throat.”
“Casser sa pipe”
Literal meaning: “To break one’s pipe”
Meaning in conversation: To die (Similar usage as “kick the bucket” in English)
Example:“Poor old Mr. Smith. He lived to be 98 years old, but he broke his pipe”
“Attacher Pierre avec Paul”
Literal meaning: “To attach Peter with Paul”
Meaning in conversation: To incorrectly button one’s buttons
Example:“Dear, you really must take more care dressing. You’ve attached Peter with Paul and your shirt looks ridiculous.”
“Couter les yeux de la tete”
Literal meaning: “To cost the eyes out of one’s head”
Meaning in conversation: To be expensive (similar usage to “to cost an arm and a leg” in English)
Example:“This new car cost me the eyes out of my head, but it was worth it”
“Entre chien et loup”
Literal meaning: “Between dog and wolf”
Meaning in conversation: Twilight (during this period of the day, one is said to be unable to distinguish a dog and a wolf)
Example:“It’s getting late out. The sun is going down. It’s almost between a dog and a wolf”
“Faire du leche vitrines”
Literal meaning: “To lick windows”
Meaning in conversation: To look at a store’s displays through its windows (the same as ‘to window shop’ in English)
Example:“We went to Macy’s at Christmas. We licked the windows at the jewelry display.”
“Tete de pioche”
Literal meaning: “Head of rocks”
Meaning in conversation: Stubborn
Example:“I can’t believe you won’t just stop and ask for directions. You have a head of rocks.”
“Avoir les dents longues”
Literal meaning: “To have long teeth”
Meaning in conversation: To be ambitious
Example:“She works 70 hours a week and then takes classes on the weekends. She really has long teeth.”
“Péndaler dans la choucroute”
Literal meaning: "To pedal in the sauerkraut"
Meaning in conversation: To dither, to not get anything accomplished (In English, “To spin your wheels”)
Example:“We’ve been working on this for eighteen hours and we still haven’t made any new progress! We need a consultant, because we’re just pedaling in the sauerkraut by ourselves!”
