French Idioms and their English meanings

An idiom is a phrase or an expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. They are usually established in language by their common usage.

Idioms are often different from a country to another country.

Here’s a few French idioms and phrases and their equivalence in English

French IdiomLiterally TranslatedEnglish Idiom
Il pleut des cordesIt rains ropes It rains cats and dogs
Quand les poules auront des dentsWhen the hen will have teethWhen pigs fly
On ne peut pas etre au four et au moulinYou can’t be at the oven and at the millOne can’t be in two places at once
Ce n’est pas ma tasse de théIt is not my cup of teaIt’s not my bowl of rice
Filer á l’anglaiseTo take English leaveTake French leave
Avoir le vent en poupeTo have the wind in one’s sailsAll wheels in motion
Noyer le poissonto drown the fishTo beat around the bush
Jamais deux sans troisNever two without threeNever twice without thrice
Courir sur le haricotTo run on the bean To get on someone’s nerve
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