Each French idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for other people.
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lit. ‘run on someone’s bean’
To annoy or irritate someone.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘put down a rabbit’
To not turn up for a date or meeting without telling the other person.
Elsewhere
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Mener quelqu’un par le bout du nez
lit. ‘lead someone by the tip of the nose’
To have someone so charmed or devoted that they'll do whatever you want.
Elsewhere
- EN Wrap someone around your little finger
- DE Jemanden um den Finger wickeln
- ES Tener a alguien comiendo de la mano
- IT Avere qualcuno in pugno
- JA 牛耳る
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lit. ‘not my onions’
This isn't my problem, so I'm not getting involved.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘it’s the youngest of my worries’
To not care about something at all.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘look for the little beast’
To argue about tiny details that don't matter.
Elsewhere
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Se prendre pour le nombril du monde
lit. ‘take yourself for the navel of the world’
To want special treatment that nobody else gets.
Elsewhere
- EN A prima donna
- DE Eine Extrawurst verlangen
- IT Fare la primadonna
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Il ne faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties
lit. ‘don’t push granny into the nettles’
Don't push it, that's going too far.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘like two drops of water’
To look or be almost exactly alike.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘to make someone wear the hat’
To shift the blame onto someone else.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘to throw flowers at yourself’
To brag about yourself.
Elsewhere
- EN Blow your own trumpet
- DE Große Töne spucken
- ES Pavonearse
- IT Darsi delle arie
- JA 鼻にかける
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S’entendre comme chien et chat
lit. ‘to get on like dog and cat’
Two people who are always arguing.
Elsewhere
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lit. ‘like backside and shirt’
Two people who are very close friends.
Elsewhere
Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest don’t have their own page yet.