un pied-à-terre*

* a foot on the ground

French France

Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

A small house or apartment in a city you do not live in, and where you stay when visiting that city for a short time

"Vivre à Paris ne m'empêche pas d'aller souvent à Rome, j'y ai un petit pied-à-terre."

"Living in Paris does not prevent me from going to Rome. I have a small pied-à-terre there""