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 talking.
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lit. ‘circle the pot’
To avoid saying the important thing directly.
Elsewhere
- EN Beat around the bush
- DE Um den heißen Brei herumreden
- ES Irse por las ramas
- IT Menare il can per l’aia
- JA お茶を濁す
-
lit. ‘take someone on a boat’
To tease someone by telling them something untrue as a joke.
Elsewhere
-
lit. ‘sell the fuse’
To reveal a secret, often by accident.
Elsewhere
-
Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
lit. ‘lie like a tooth-puller’
To lie shamelessly while knowing full well it isn't true.
Elsewhere
- EN Lie through your teeth
- DE Lügen wie gedruckt
- ES Mentir más que hablar
- IT Mentire per la gola
- JA 真っ赤な嘘
-
lit. ‘put your feet in the dish’
To say or do something tactless that embarrasses you or upsets someone.
Elsewhere
- EN Put your foot in it
- DE Ins Fettnäpfchen treten
- ES Meter la pata
- JA 地雷を踏む
-
L’esprit de l’escalier
lit. ‘the wit of the staircase’
To think of the perfect reply only after the moment to say it has passed.
Elsewhere
- DE Treppenwitz
-
lit. ‘jump from the rooster to the donkey’
To jump suddenly from one topic to a completely unrelated one.
Elsewhere
-
lit. ‘make a whole cheese of it’
To treat a small problem as if it were a big one.
Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.