Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(a foot on the ground) • 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""
Submitted January 2022 by anonymous
Idiom USED Frequently BY Everyone
(to fart higher than one's arse) • To be conceited.
Les étrangers disent souvent que les Français pètent plus haut que leur cul.
Foreigners often say that French people fart higher than their arse.
Submitted July 2021 by 3010g
Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone
(fighter plane) • Used to describe someone that is very beautiful or attractive.
"Woah, la nouvelle serveuse est un avion de chasse!"
"Wow, the new waitress is a fighter plane!"
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(to pass the weapon to the left) • To die.
"Elle a passé l'arme à gauche."
"She passed the weapon to the left."
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(to pass the weapon to the left) • To Die.
Elle a passé l'arme à gauche.
She passed the weapon to the left.
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED Very frequently BY French people
(I beat my testicles with it) • I don't care.
"As-tu vu le nouveau film des Avengers?" "Franchement, je m'en bats les couilles!"
"Did you see the new Avengers movie?" "Frankly, I beat my testicles with it!"
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(all of this for this) • Used when you have put much effort into something and are disappointed of the outcome.
"J'ai révisé toute la semaine pour cet examen et je n'ai eu que 8 !" "Tout ça pour ça !"
"I studied the whole week for this exam and I only got an 8!" "All of this for this!"
C'est comme pisser dans un violon.
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(It's like pissing in a violin.) • Used to describe something useless and ineffective, or to complain about not being listened to after asking somebody to do something. Pissing in a violin is ineffective, it won't make a sound.
"Quand je demande à ma fille de ranger ma chambre, c'est comme pisser dans un violon !"
"When I ask my daughter to clean her room, it's like pissing in a violin!"
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(adj.) • A word originated from German and used by some French speakers, used when someone has reached a level of great fatigue or exhaustion.
"Quelle journée !" "Ouais, je suis complètement schlass."
"What a day!" "Yeah, I'm completely schlass."
Submitted December 2020 by anonymous
Word USED On Occasion BY Some People
(n.) • Used to talk about a far away and/or unknown place.
"Il est parti à Pétaouchnok."
"He went to Pétaouchnok."
passer comme une lettre à la poste
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some
(to fit like a letter in the letterbox) • Used to describe a situation where everything goes smoothly or as planned. To go off without a hitch.
"J'ai été obligé d'expliquer pourquoi je n'étais pas en classe hier." "Et ?" "Mon histoire est passée comme une lettre à la poste"
"I had to explain why I did not attend class yesterday" "And?" "My story fit like a letter in the letterbox"
Ça rentre comme papa dans maman.
Expression USED Frequently BY Young and middle-aged people
(It fits like daddy in mommy.) • To fit like a glove.
"- T'as pu rentrer la voiture dans le garage ? - Ouais, elle est rentrée comme papa dans maman."
"- Did the car fit in the garage? - Yeah, it fits like daddy in mommy."
Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Everyone
(to have a spider on the ceiling) • Describes someone who is not the brightest or someone crazy. If a spider has the space to make a net inside your head, it is not a good sign, as the spider lives in a room that is not used a lot.
"N'écoute pas ce mec, il a une araignée au plafond." "Ton pote est un peu bizarre, il doit avoir une araignée au plafond."
"Don't listen to this guy, he has a spider on the ceiling." "Your mate is a bit weird, he must have a spider on the ceiling."
Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Anyone
(Well seen, the blind!) • This is something you may say to someone who just discovered something obvious. This is obviously a pun, and "bien vu" actually translates to "well spotted", "good catch".
"T'as déjà remarqué que presque tous les salons de coiffures ont un jeu de mot dans leur nom ?" "Bien vu, l'aveugle !"
"Have you ever noticed that almost every hairdressing salon has a pun in its name?" "Well seen, the blind!"
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(to have the IQ of an oyster ) • Used to say that someone is really stupid, that someone has no brain.
"Elle est vraiment débile, elle a le QI d'une huître !"
"She's so dumb, she has the IQ of an oyster !"
Slang USED On Occasion BY Mostly used by young people
(to be in the sauce) • You can use this expression to say that you are in trouble.
"Il n’aurait pas dû dire ça, il va être dans la sauce."
"He should not have said that, he is gonna be in the sauce."
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."
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."
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 ?"
Name USED Frequently BY Adults
A masculine name which can be used to designate a boyfriend.
"Julien, c'est ton Jules?"
"Is Julian your Jules?"
