/ɛtʁ dɑ̃ də bo dʁa/ lit. ‘to be in fine sheets’
French idiom, everyday. To be in trouble or a difficult situation.
Draft Not yet checked by a native French speaker.
How do people use Être dans de beaux draps
?
Everyday French, said with a sigh when things go wrong: “nous voilà dans de beaux draps !” is the classic. The “beaux” is ironic: the sheets are anything but fine. You’ll hear it about yourself, a friend, or a whole country.
Also said être dans de sales draps, être dans de mauvais draps
Être dans de beaux draps
in real sentences
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Il est dans de beaux draps.
He’s in hot water.
Tatoeba, sentence by Fenrir, translation by Hybrid, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Je suis dans de beaux draps.
I’m in a pickle.
Tatoeba, sentence by lbdx, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Être dans de beaux draps
come from?
French Wiktionary’s explanation is that draps here were the white cloths sinners had to wear when doing public penance for a fault, so being in them meant being publicly in disgrace. It gives no date for that sense, and the oldest quotation it has for the phrase is from Georges Courteline in 1899.
Mistakes learners make with Être dans de beaux draps
Taking beaux at face value and thinking it’s good news. It’s irony, like the English “a fine mess”. Learners also write “des beaux draps”; the set phrase uses “de” because the adjective comes before the noun.
Other French idioms like Être dans de beaux draps
Spot a mistake in Être dans de beaux draps
?
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