French France

s'ennuyer comme un rat mort

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(to be bored like a dead rat) • It is used to express extreme boredom.

"Il n'y a rien à faire ici." "Ouais, je m'ennuie comme un rat mort."

"There's nothing to do here." "Yeah, I'm bored to death."

French France

aimable comme une porte de prison

Expression USED Frequently BY Adults/old people

(as friendly as a prison's door) • Used to describe someone being rude or cold.

"Il ne m'a pas adressé un seul sourire du séjour, il est aimable comme une porte de prison."

"He didn't smile at me the whole trip, he is as friendly as a prison's door."

French French speaking countries

bouche-trou

Word USED On Occasion BY Young People

(n.) • (hole-filler) • It describes a person used as a replacement of another person in a group.

"Elle a parfois l'impression d'être le bouche-trou de la bande ; elle est invitée à manger ou faire la fête avec eux seulement quand ça les arrangent."

"She sometimes has the feeling of being the group hole-filler; she's invited to eat or party with them only when it suits them."

French French speaking countries

saigner des yeux

Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People

(to bleed from the eyes) • Used when you see or hear something very unpleasant.

"Je saigne des yeux à chaque fois que je lis ses messages : il fait tellement de fautes d'orthographes!"

"I bleed from the eyes whenever I read his messages: he does so many spelling mistakes!"

French French speaking countries

se prendre un râteau

Expression USED Frequently BY People Under 30

(to take oneself a rake) • Used when you tell someone that you like him/her and (s)he doesn't like you back. When you are the one whose feelings are hurt, you "take yourself a rake". When you are the one who hurts the other person's feelings, you "give a rake" (mettre un râteau).

"Je me suis pris un râteau hier... Je lui ai dit que je l'aimais bien et il m'a répondu : "Désolé, t'es pas mon type"."

"I took myself a rake yesterday... I told him that I liked him and he replied: "Sorry, you're not my type"."

French French speaking countries

voilà voilà

Interjection USED On Occasion BY Most People

When you finish telling something that might be awkward, sad or another quite negative feeling, you often end the story with "voilà voilà". The use and tone is different from the enthusiastic "voilà!".

"Hier, je marchais dans la rue tout en buvant mon café, et j'ai glissé sur une peau de banane. Je suis tombé et j'ai renversé mon café très chaud sur moi. Malheureusement, la rue était bondée, donc tout le monde m'a vu tomber. Voilà voilà..."

"Yesterday, I was walking down the street while drinking my coffee, and I slipped on a banana peel. I fell and spilled my very hot coffee on myself. Unfortunately, the street was crowded, so everyone saw me falling. So there you go..."

French French speaking countries

prendre ses jambes à son cou

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Adults

(to take you legs to your neck) • To run away as fast as possible.

"A chaque fois que Bip Bip voit Coyote, il prend ses jambes à con cou."

"Whenever the Road Runner sees Wile E. Coyote, he takes his legs to his neck."

French French speaking countries

prendre la poudre d'escampette

Expression USED On Very Rare Occasion BY Adults

To run away, to flee.

"Hier, ma maison a été cambriolée, et au moment où je cherchais les voleurs, ils avaient déjà pris la poudre d'escampette."

"Yesterday, my house was robbed, and when I looked for the thieves, they had already fled."

French French speaking countries

avoir été bercé trop près du mur

Expression USED On Very Rare Occasion BY Adults

(to have been rocked too close to the wall) • It's a way to say that a person is stupid. By being rocked near a wall, a baby's head could be bumped and cause damage to the brain.

"Jenny, un des personages de la BD "Les Nombrils", a été bercé trop très du mur. Je n'ai jamais vu quelqu'un d'aussi débile mais tellement drôle!"

"Jenny, one of the "The Bellybuttons" comic characters, was rocked too close to the wall. I've never seen a person that stupid but so funny!"

French French speaking countries

ne pas être fût-fût

Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People

(not to be clever-clever) • Used to refer to a dumb person or a person doing stupid things, but it's lighter than saying that a person is stupid. It comes from "fûté", that means "clever".

"Cette fille n'est vraiment pas fût-fût; elle pense que les lions sont des animaux marins!"

"That girl really isn't clever-clever; she thinks that lions are marine animals!"

French French speaking countries

avoir la tête dans le cul

Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People

(to have the head in the butt) • It means to be feeling hazy, tired or not feeling that well.

"J'ai la tête dans le cul ce matin: j'ai à peine dormi de la nuit."

"I have the head in the butt this morning: I've barely slept this night."

French French speaking countries

pognon

Slang USED Frequently BY Most People

(n.) • Money.

"Tu peux me prêter un peu de pognon stp?"

"Can you lend me some money please?"

French French speaking countries

oseille

Slang USED Frequently BY Some People

(n.) • (sorrel) • Money.

"J'ai grave besoin d'oseille!"

"I really need sorrel!"

French French speaking countries

être le vilain petit canard

Expression USED On Very Rare Occasion BY Some People

(to be the bad little duckling) • Refers to a person who is disliked by other people and left aside because (s)he is (physically, morally, etc) different from the others.

"Cet enfant est le vilain petit canard de sa classe ; tout le monde se moque de lui parce qu'il boite."

"This child is the bad little duckling of his class; everyone laughs at him because he has a limp."

French French speaking countries

être comme chien et chat

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Some People

(to be like dog and cat) • Used to describe people who are constantly in conflict, like cats and dogs, that are believed to dislike each other.

"Ma soeur en moi sommes comme chien et chat : il est impossible pour nous de s'entendre plus de quelques minutes. Nous nous disputons tout le temps."

"My sister and I are like dog and cat: it's impossible for us to get along more than a few minutes. We are always arguing."

French France

balles

Name USED Very frequently BY Almost Everyone

(n.) • Slang term for euros. Very old slang word (19th) that used to designate a Franc. The term suffered a decline in use after the changeover to the euro before being used frequently again.

"T’as pas dix balles ?"

"Do you have ten euros ?"

French Québec, Canada

piastre

Word USED Frequently BY everyone

(n.) • In Québec French, "piastre" means dollar. Pronounced as "piasse", and often missheard as "pièce" by European French speakers.

"Combien t'a coûté ta nouvelle chemise ?" "20 piastres!"

"How much did you pay for your shirt?" "20 bucks!"

French | Canadian French Quebec, Canada

être habillé comme la chienne à Jacques

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(to be dressed like Jacques' female dog. ) • Used to describe a person dressed poorly. Apparently, a man named Jacques Aubert, who lived during the 19th century, was known as single all his life and only had one companion: a female dog that lost all of its fur because of some disease. During cold winter times, he would dress up his dog with old clothes and rags.

"On a beau être en vacances, ce n'est pas une raison pour s'habiller comme la chienne à Jacques."

"Even if we're on a vacation, it's not a reason to be dressed like Jacques' female dog."

French French speaking countries

On ne trouve pas l'argent sous les sabots d'un cheval

Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People

(Money can't be found under a horse's hoof) • Money doesn't grow on trees.

"Je ne peux pas t'acheter ce sac, il est beaucoup trop cher ! Tu penses qu'on trouve l'argent sous les sabots d'un cheval?"

"I can't buy you this bag, it's way too expensive! Do you think money can be found under a horse's hoof?"

French French speaking countries

la semaine des quatre jeudis

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Some People

(the week of the four Thursdays) • Used to express that something will never happen. In the past, Thursday was a break day for pupils and teachers. So, having a week with four Thursdays would have been a wonderful dream, but it will never happen.

" - Quand vas-tu me présenter à tes parents? - La semaine des quatre jeudis."

" - When will you introduce me to your parents? - On the week of the four Thursdays."