Il ne sait ni A ni B = He does not know B from a bull’s foot; He cannot read; He is a perfect ignoramus. Être marquÉ À l’A = To stand high in the estimation of others. [This expression is supposed to have originated in the custom of stamping French coin with different letters of the alphabet. The mark of the Paris Mint was an “A,” and its coins were supposed to be of a better quality than those stamped at provincial towns. But as this custom only began in 1418 by command of the Dauphin, son of Charles VI., and as the saying was known long previous, it is more probable that its origin is to be sought in the pre-eminence that A has always held in all Aryan languages, and that the French have borrowed it from the Romans. Compare Martial, ii. 57, and our A i, at Lloyd’s.] Tout est À l’abandon = Everything is at sixes and sevens, in utter neglect, in confusion. [Also: Tout va À la dÉrive.] *Petite pluie abat grand vent = A little rain lays much dust; Often quite a trifle calms a torrent of wrath. [Compare: “Hi motus animorum atque haec certamina tanta Pulveris exigui jactu compressa quiescunt.” Vergil, Georgics, iv. 86-7.] Abattre de l’ouvrage = To get through a great deal of work. Être aux abois = To be reduced to the last extremity; To be at bay. [Compare Boileau: “DÈs que j’y veux rÊver, ma veine est aux abois.”] *Abondance de biens ne nuit pas = Store is no sore; One cannot have too much of a good thing. Parler avec abondance = To speak fluently. Parler d’abondance = To speak extempore. Il abonde dans mon sens = He is entirely of the same opinion as I am; He has come round to my opinion. Il a l’abord rude, mais il s’adoucit bientÔt = He receives you roughly at first, but that soon passes off. A (or, De) prime abord = At first sight; At the first blush. Les pourparlers n’ont pas abouti = The preliminary negotiations led to nothing. *“Les absents ont toujours tort” = When absent, one is never in the right. “When a man’s away, Abuse him you may.”
[NÉricault-Destouches, L’obstacle imprÉvu, i. 6.] L’homme absurde est celui qui ne change jamais = The wise man changes his opinion—the fool never. [BarthÉlemy, Palinode. 1832.] Il est avec le ciel des accommodements = One can arrange things with heaven. [Compare MoliÈre, Tartufe, iv. 5: “Le ciel dÉfend, de vrai, certains contentements, Mais on trouve avec lui des accommodements.” The scene in which Orgon, hidden beneath the table, learns Tartufe’s hypocrisy.] Un mÉchant accommodement est mieux que le meilleur procÈs = A bad arrangement is better than the best lawsuit. Je l’accommoderai comme il faut = I will give him a good hiding. Il s’accommode de tout = He is satisfied with everything; He is easy to please. Accordez mieux vos flÛtes, si vous voulez rÉussir = You must agree better among yourselves if you wish to succeed. [Generally in bad sense. “Mettez, pour me jouer, vos flÛtes mieux d’accord.”—MoliÈre, L’Etourdi, i. 4.] S’accorder comme chien et chat = To live a cat and dog life. Chose accoutumÉe n’est pas fort prisÉe = Familiarity breeds contempt. [The Latin version of a sentence in Plutarch’s Morals runs: “Nimia familiaritas contemptum parit.” Fais feste au chien, il te gastera ton habit. “Jamais trop compagnon À nul ne te feras Car bien que moins de joye moins d’ennuy tu auras.”]
Un homme qui se noie s’accroche À tout = A drowning man catches at a straw. Il a accrochÉ sa montre (pop.) = He has “popped” his watch. [Other popular synonyms are the following:— Il a mis sa montre au clou (pop.) = His watch is up the spout. J’ai portÉ ma montre chez ma tante (pop.) = My watch is at my uncle’s.] Acheter À vil prix = To buy dirt cheap, for a mere song. Acheter chat en poche = To buy a pig in a poke. Acheter par francs et vendre par Écus = To buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest; To sell at a high profit. C’est un voleur achevÉ = He is an arrant thief. La pierre d’achoppement = The stumbling-block. *Le bien mal acquis ne profite jamais = Ill-gotten gains benefit no one; Cheats never prosper; Ill got, ill spent. Faire quelque chose par maniÈre d’acquit = To do something for form’s sake, perfunctorily. [This is a shortened form of faire quelque chose pour l’acquit de sa conscience = to do something to satisfy one’s conscience.] Donner l’acquit = To break (at billiards). Pour acquit = Received (on bills). Faire acte de prÉsence = To put in an appearance. Sans adieu = I shall not say good-bye; I shall see you again soon. [“Adieu” is shortened from “Je vous recommande À la grÂce de Dieu.” Comp. “Sans adieu, chevalier, je crois que nous nous reverrons bientÔt.”—Lesage.] Le trait est arrivÉ À son adresse = The shaft (or, arrow) hit the mark; He took the hint. Vous vous adressez mal; Vous vous adressez bien (ironic.) = You have come to the wrong person; You have mistaken your man. *Advienne que pourra = Happen what may. Cela fera parfaitement l’affaire = That will do capitally; That will suit down to the ground. C’est son affaire = That is his business, his look-out. Ça, c’est mon affaire = That is my business; It is no business of yours. Il est sÛr de son affaire = He will pay for it; He will catch it. Je ne dis pas mes affaires aux autres = I do not tell others my plans (or business); I keep my concerns to myself. J’entends votre affaire = I see what is to be done for you. Ils parlent affaires = They are talking business. Ils parlent boutique = They are talking shop. C’est une triste affaire = It is a sad business. S’attirer une mauvaise affaire = To get into a mess, scrape. Quand on a de l’esprit, on se tire d’affaire = When one has brains, one gets out of any difficulty. [Distinguish between se tirer and s’attirer.] Si quelque affaire t’importe, ne la fais pas par procureur = If you want a thing done, do it yourself. L’affaire a ÉtÉ chaude = It was warm work (referring to a fight). Une affaire d’honneur = A duel. OÙ sont mes affaires? = Where are my things? Les affaires ne vont pas (ne marchent pas) = Trade is dull, slack. Je suis dans les affaires = I am in business. [“Les affaires? C’est bien simple, c’est l’argent des autres.”—Alex. Dumas fils, La Question d’Argent, ii. 7.] MÊlez-vous de vos affaires = Mind your own business. Avoir affaire = To be occupied. Avoir affaire À quelqu’un = To have to speak to (to deal with) a person. [Sometimes as a threat: Il aura affaire À moi = He will have to deal with me.] Avoir affaire de quelqu’un = To need a person. [“J’ai affaire de vous, ne vous Éloignez pas.”] Avoir son affaire = To have what suits one. J’ai mon affaire = I have found what I want. J’ai votre affaire = I have got the very thing for you. Il aura son affaire (ironic.) = He will catch it. C’est toute une affaire = It is a serious matter; It means a lot of bother (or, trouble). C’est une affaire faite = It is as good as done. Son affaire est faite = He is a dead man (of one dying); He is done for; He is a ruined man. Faire son affaire = (of oneself) To succeed. Il fait tout doucement son affaire = He is getting on slowly but surely. (Of others) To punish. S’il le rencontre, il lui fera son affaire = If he meets him he will give it to him, will “do” for him. Il a fait ses affaires dans les vins = He made his money in the wine trade. J’en fais mon affaire = I will take the responsibility of the matter; I will see to it; I will take it in hand. Vous avez fait lÀ une belle affaire (ironic.) = You have made a pretty mess of it. Une affaire de rien = A mere nothing, a trifle. Il est hors d’affaire = He is out of danger. Être au dessous de ses affaires, Être au dessus de ses affaires (ironic.) = To be unable to meet one’s liabilities, to be unsuccessful. Quelle affaire! En voilÀ une affaire! (ironic.) = What a to-do! What a row about nothing! La belle affaire! = Is that all? (i.e. it is not so difficult or important as you seem to think). Il n’y a point de petites affaires = Every trifle is of importance. Ceux qui n’ont point d’affaires s’en font = Those who have no troubles invent them; Idle people make business for themselves. Les affaires sont les affaires = Business is business; One must be serious at work. Ce scandale sera l’affaire de huit jours = That scandal will be a nine days’ wonder. Dieu nous garde d’un homme qui n’a qu’une affaire = God save us from the man of one idea. [Because he is always talking of it, and tires every one. Compare “Beware of the man of one book.”] Chacun sait ses affaires = Every one knows his own business best. *A demain les affaires sÉrieuses = I will not be bothered with business to-day; Time enough for business to-morrow. [The saying of Archias, governor of Thebes, on receiving a letter from Athens warning him of the conspiracy of Pelopidas; he would not even open the letter. Soon after, the conspirators rushed in and murdered him and his friends as they were feasting.] Il vaut mieux avoir affaire À Dieu qu’À ses saints = It is better to deal with superiors than subordinates. [Two quotations from La Fontaine are proverbial:— “On ne s’attendait guÈre A voir Ulysse en cette affaire.” La Tortue et les deux Canards. “Le moindre grain de mil Serait bien mieux mon affaire.” Le Coq et la Perle.] *Ventre affamÉ n’a point d’oreilles = A hungry man will not listen to reason. [La Fontaine, Fables, ix. 18.] DÉfense d’afficher = Stick no bills. C’est un homme qui s’affiche = He is a man who tries to get talked about (generally in a disparaging sense). [Être affichÉ is also said of a man who has been “posted” at his club.] Faire affront À quelqu’un = To shame some one in public. Le fils fait affront À sa famille = The son is a disgrace to his family. Boire (essuyer or avaler) un affront = To pocket an insult. Être À l’affÛt = To be watching for a favourable opportunity; To be on the look-out. (See Aguets.) Il est entre deux Âges = He is middle-aged. Il est prÉsident d’Âge = He is chairman by seniority. Le bas Âge = Infancy. Le bel Âge = Childhood; youth. [Some idea is generally understood after le bel Âge. Thus “childhood” is not always the right translation. For an author le bel Âge would be after thirty, for a politician later still, and so on. Chicaneau, in Racine’s Plaideurs, calls sixty le bel Âge pour plaider (i. 7).] La fleur de l’Âge = The prime of life. Le moyen Âge = The Middle Ages. Il s’agit de... = The question is...; The point is... Il s’agit de votre vie = Your life is at stake. Il ne s’agit pas de cela = That is not the point. Il s’agit bien de cela (ironic.) = That is quite a secondary consideration. Qui s’agite s’enrichit = If you wish to get rich, you must work (hustle); No pains, no gains. MÊme À travers l’agonie la passion dominante se fait voir = The ruling passion is strong in death. [“Elle a portÉ ses sentiments jusqu’À l’agonie.”—Bossuet. “And you, brave Cobham! to the latest breath Shall feel your ruling passion strong in death.” Pope, Moral Essays, i. 262.] Il est aux aguets = He is on the watch; He is in ambush. (See AffÛt.) *Un peu d’aide fait grand bien = Many hands make light work. Bon droit a besoin d’aide = Even a good cause needs support. *Aide-toi, le ciel t’aidera = God helps those who help themselves. [La Fontaine, Fables, vi. 18, Le Chartier embourbÉ, copying RÉgnier, Sat. xiii.: “Aydez vous seulement et Dieu vous aydera.” Lat.: Dii facientes adjuvant. Æschylus, Persae, 742: Spe?d??t? sa?t? ?? ?e?? ?????eta?. Sophocles, Camicii, frag. 633, in Dindorf’s edition: ??? ?st? t??? ? d??s? s?a??? ????. Another Greek saying was: S??, ????? ?a? ?e??a ???e? = With Minerva on your side, yet use your own hand. Cromwell is reported to have said at the battle of Dunbar: “Trust in God, but keep your powder dry.” The Basques say: “Quoique Dieu soit bon ouvrier, il veut qu’on l’aide.”] De fil en aiguille = Bit by bit; One thing leading to another. [“De propos en propos et de fil en eguille.”—RÉgnier, Sat. xiii.] Raconter de fil en aiguille = To tell the whole matter from the beginning. Disputer sur la pointe d’une aiguille = To raise a discussion on a subject of no importance; To split hairs. *Chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin = To look for a needle in a bundle (bottle) of hay. A dur Âne dur aiguillon = In dealing with obstinate natures one must use severe measures. Il en a dans l’aile = He is winged (hurt). Le ministÈre a du plomb dans l’aile = The ministry is nearing its end, is winged. Il ne bat plus que d’une aile = He is almost ruined; He is on his last legs. Voler de ses propres ailes = To act (or, shift) for oneself. J’en tirerai pied ou aile = I will get something out of it. [Idiom derived from carving a bird—to get a leg or a wing off it.] C’est la plus belle plume de son aile (or, le plus beau fleuron de sa couronne) = It is the finest gem of his crown. *Qui aime bien chÂtie bien = Spare the rod and spoil the child. [Proverbs xiii. 24.] Aimer quelqu’un comme la prunelle de ses yeux = To love somebody like the apple of one’s eye. Quand on n’a pas ce que l’on aime il faut aimer ce que l’on a = If you cannot get crumb you had best eat crust. [This sentence is found in a letter from Bussy Rabutin to Madame de SÉvignÉ, May 23, 1667. “Quoniam non potest id fieri quod vis, id velis quod possit.”—Terence, Andria, ii. 1, 6. “When things will not suit our will, it is well to suit our will to things.”—Arab proverb. “Let not what I cannot have My peace of mind destroy.” Colley Cibber, The Blind Boy.] *Qui aime Bertrand, aime son chien = Love me, love my dog. [“Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.”—S. Bernard, In Fest. S. Mich. Serm., i. sec. 3.] *Qui aime bien, tard oublie = True love dies hard. Qui m’aime me suive = Peril proves who dearly loves. [Words attributed to Philippe VI. when at a Council during his war with Flanders, the ConnÉtable de ChÂtillon alone stood by him, saying all times were suitable to the brave.] En plein air; Au grand air = In the open air. Être entre deux airs Être dans un courant d’air | } | = To be in a draught. | Avoir toujours le pied en l’air = To be always on the go. Il parle en l’air = He talks without thinking of what he is saying, at random, not seriously. Je vais prendre l’air du bureau = I am just going to look in at the office. Prendre un air de feu = To go near the fire for a few minutes to warm oneself. A votre air on ne vous donnerait pas vingt-cinq ans = From your looks I should take you for less than five-and-twenty. Vivre de l’air du temps = To live upon nothing (i.e. to eat very little). Elle a quelque chose de votre air = She takes after you; She looks somewhat like you. Il a un faux air d’avocat = He looks something like a barrister. Cela en a tout l’air = It looks uncommonly like it. Il a un air (or, l’air) comme il faut = He has a very gentlemanly manner. C’est de l’algÈbre pour lui = It is Greek to him. [“C’est de l’hÉbreu pour moi.”—MoliÈre, L’Étourdi, iii. 3.] Chercher une querelle d’Allemand = To pick a quarrel about nothing, without rhyme or reason. [This saying has been accounted for as follows:—During the thirteenth century there lived in DauphinÉ a very powerful family of the name of Alleman. They were bound together by close ties of relationship; and if any one attacked one member of the clan, he had the whole to reckon with. From the vigour with which they resented any wrong, no matter how slight, arose the expression Une querelle d’Alleman. See M. Jules Quicherat’s article on La famille des Alleman in the Revue historique de la noblesse, Part vi.] *Tant va la cruche À l’eau qu’À la fin elle se casse = The pitcher that often goes to the well gets broken at last. [This has been travestied: Tant va la cruche À l’eau qu’À la fin elle s’emplit. The Germans have an equivalent: Der Krug geht so lange zum Brunnen, bis er bricht.] *Doucement va bien loin = Fair and softly goes far; Slow and sure wins the race. [The Italian equivalent is: Chi va piano va sano e va lontano. “Qui trop se hÂte en cheminant En beau chemin se fourvoye souvent.”
“On en va mieux quand on va doux.”—La Fontaine, Les Cordeliers de Catalogne.] Il y allait du bonheur de ma famille = The happiness of my family was at stake. Ce jeune homme ira loin = That young man will make his way in the world, has a future before him. Au pis aller = Should the worst come to the worst. Un pis aller = A makeshift. Aller son petit bonhomme de chemin = To jog along quietly. Cela va tout seul = There is no difficulty in the way. Cela va sans dire = That is a matter of course; It stands to reason. Cela va de soi = That follows naturally. Il ne reviendra pas, allez! = Depend upon it, he will not return! Va pour mille francs! = Done! I’ll take £40. Aller cahin-caha Aller clopin-clopant | } | (lit.) To limp along. (fig.) To rub along | quietly, neither very well nor very ill. | Elle le fait aller = She makes him do what she likes. Le rouge va bien aux brunes = Red suits dark women well. Allons! = Come, now! Allons donc! = You are joking. “Il n’est bois si vert qui ne s’allume” (ClÉment Marot) = There is nothing so difficult that cannot be done in time. Alors comme alors = Wait till that happens, and then we will see what is to be done. Fin comme l’ambre = As sharp as a needle. [This is said to have originated in the scent of ambergris, which is of a subtle, penetrating nature.] Cette preuve est amenÉe de bien loin = That proof is very far-fetched. *Qui prÊte À l’ami perd au double = “For loan oft loses both itself and friend.” [Hamlet, i. 3.] *On connaÎt les amis au besoin = A friend in need is a friend indeed. [Also: C’est dans le malheur qu’on connaÎt ses amis. “Chacun se dit ami, mais fou qui s’y repose Rien n’est plus commun que le nom Rien n’est plus rare que la chose.” La Fontaine, Fables, iv. 17. “Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur.”—Ennius. “Nihil homini amico est opportuno amicius.”—Plautus. “Vulgare amici nomen, sed rara est fides.”—Phaedrus, iii. 9. “Les amis sont comme les parapluies, on ne les a jamais sous la main quand il pleut.”—ThÉodore de Banville. Un vÉritable ami est un bienfait des dieux. Prosperity gains friends, adversity tries them. Friends and mules fail us at hard passes. In times of prosperity friends will be plenty, In times of adversity not one in twenty.]
Mieux vaut ami en voie que denier en courroie = A friend at court is better than money. Il ne faut prendre de son ami tout ce qu’on peut = Friends are like fiddle-strings, they must not be screwed too tight. “Les amis de l’heure prÉsente Ont la nature du melon, Il en faut essayer cinquante Avant qu’on rencontre un bon.” Claude Mermet (1550-1605).
= Trust not a new friend nor an old enemy; Acquaintances are many, but friends are few. AmitiÉ Faites mes amitiÉs À votre frÈre = Remember me kindly to your brother. Faites-le pour l’amour de moi = Do it for my sake. L’Amour force toutes les serrures = Love laughs at locksmiths. Vivre d’amour et d’eau fraÎche (or, claire) = To live on bread and cheese and kisses. *On revient toujours À ses premiÈres amours = One always returns to one’s first love; Who loves well, forgets ill. [C. G. Étienne, Joconde, iii. 1.] Jamais l’amour ne se paye que par l’amour = Love can neither be bought nor sold, its only price is love. [“Amour au coeur me poind Quand bien-aimÉ je suis, Mais aimer je ne puis Quand on ne m’aime point. Chacun soit adverti De faire comme moi, Car d’aimer sans party C’est un trop grand esmoy.” ClÉment Marot.
Lieb ohne Gegenlieb ist wie eine Frage ohne Antwort.] On dirait qu’il le fait pour l’amour du bon Dieu = He does it with such bad grace that one would say he did it for conscience’ sake. [“Qui que tu sois, voici ton maÎtre, Il l’est, le fut, ou le doit Être.” Voltaire, Inscription pour une statue de l’Amour dans les Jardins de Maisons. “A l’Amour on rÉsiste en vain; Qui n’aima jamais aimera demain.” De Benserade, L’Amour, ed. 1690, p. 234.] Amuser le tapis = To talk a great deal without coming to the point; To talk time away. Ne vous amusez pas en route = Do not lose an instant on the way. Je m’en moque comme de l’an quarante = I don’t care a straw for it. [There was a superstition that the world would come to an end in 1040; after it had passed, this saying arose. The French also say “Je m’en moque comme de Colin-tampon.” Colin-tampon is the name given to the Swiss roll of the drum; and as the other soldiers in the French army paid no attention to it out of jealousy and esprit de corps, this saying arose. Another variant is “Je m’en soucie autant qu’un poisson d’une pomme.”] Bon an, mal an = One year with another; On an average. Ressembler À l’Âne de Buridan = Not to know what to do. [Jean Buridan was a dialectician of the fourteenth century, and Rector of the University of Paris. One of his most famous dilemmas was that of the donkey equally hungry and thirsty, which was placed halfway between a pail of water and a load of hay. If the animal had no free-will, it would remain motionless between two equal attractions, and so die of hunger and thirst.] Contes de Peau d’Âne = Nursery tales. [A name derived from a tale of Perrault, in which the heroine is so called.] Pour un point (or, Faute d’un point) Martin perdit son Âne = For want of a nail the shoe was lost (or, the miller lost his mare); Be careful of trifles. [This is said of a person who loses something valuable through a trifle. The Abbey of Asello (Latin asellus = little ass) was taken from the Abbot Martin on account of his punctuation of a sentence over the gateway. Instead of: Porta patens esto, nulli claudaris honesto (Gate be open, and be closed to no honest man), he punctuated: Porta patens esto nulli, claudaris honesto (Gate, be open to none, be closed to an honest man). His successor corrected the mistake, and added: Uno pro puncto caruit Martinus Asello.] Il fait l’Âne pour avoir du son = He simulates stupidity to gain some material advantage. Brider un Âne par la queue = To do anything in exactly the wrong manner; To get hold of the wrong end of the stick. Il n’y a point d’Âne plus mal bÂtÉ que celui du commun = What is everybody’s business is nobody’s business. [Walton, Compleat Angler, Part i. chap. ii.] Être aux anges = To be delighted, in raptures, in the seventh heaven. Un ange bouffi = A chubby child. Échapper comme une anguille = To be as slippery as an eel. Quand on veut trop serrer l’anguille, elle s’Échappe = “Much would have more and lost all”; He who is too greedy loses everything. (See Embrasser.) Vouloir rompre l’anguille au genou = To attempt an impossibility. Il est comme l’anguille de Melun (more correctly, Languille de Melun), il crie avant qu’on l’Écorche = He is like the eel of Melun, he cries out before he is hurt. [An actor, called Languille, was once acting the part of St. Bartholomew at Melun, when he was so frightened at the entry of the executioner to flay him alive, that he rushed off the stage yelling.] Il y a quelque anguille sous roche = There is a snake in the grass; I can smell a rat. [Lat. Latet anguis in herba.] SociÉtÉ anonyme = Limited Liability Company (because the names of the shareholders are unknown to the public). Faire danser l’anse (or, le manche) du panier = To make dishonest profits on marketing (of servants); To gain a market-penny. Faire le pot (or, panier) À deux anses = To put one’s arms akimbo. [Often said of a gentleman who has a lady on each arm.] “OÙ sont les neiges d’antan?” = Where are the snows of yester-year? [Antan is an old French word derived from ante and annus. The quotation is the refrain of FranÇois Villon’s famous “Ballade des Dames du temps jadis.”] C’est un apache (pop.) = He is a hooligan. C’est un apothicaire sans sucre = He is unprovided with the necessities of his profession. [Druggists in France formerly sold sugar which they used almost in every preparation. Hence one who had no sugar was badly stocked.] Faire le bon apÔtre = To put on a saintly look; To pretend to be holy. [“Tout Picard que j’Étais, j’Étais un bon apÔtre Et je faisais claquer mon fouet tout comme un autre.” Racine, Plaideurs, i. 1.]
Pour sauver les apparences = For the sake of appearances. Selon toute apparence = In all probability. A tous ceux qu’il appartiendra (legal) = To all whom it may concern. *C’est un trop vieux poisson pour mordre À l’appÂt = He is too old a bird to be caught with chaff. Faire l’appel = To call the roll. Manquer À l’appel = To be missing, absent. Battre l’appel = To call to arms. Il appelle les choses par leur nom = He calls a spade a spade. [“J’appelle un chat un chat, et Rolet un fripon.”—Boileau, Satires, i. 52.] VoilÀ ce que j’appelle pleuvoir = This is what I call raining with a vengeance. Bon appÉtit = Good appetite; I hope you will enjoy your meal. *L’appÉtit vient en mangeant = One leg of mutton helps down another; The more one has the more one wants; Begin to eat, you’ll soon be hungry. [“As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on.” Hamlet, i. 2.
“L’appÉtit vient en mangeant, disait Angeston, mais la soif s’en va en buvant.”—Rabelais, Gargantua, i.] *Il n’est chÈre que d’appÉtit = Hunger is the best sauce. [“? ?p????a t?? s?t?? ????.” Xenophon, Cyrop. i. 5, 12.] *Pain dÉrobÉ rÉveille appÉtit = Stolen joys are sweet. Les malheurs s’apprennent bien vite = Ill news flies fast (or, apace). Vous apprendrez avec plaisir.... = You will be glad to hear.... *Ce n’est pas À un vieux singe qu’on apprend À faire des grimaces (fam.) = One does not teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs. (See Remontrer.) [The Greek equivalent was, “To teach an eagle to fly,” or “to teach a dolphin to swim.”—Zenob. ii. 49. The Romans said, “Sus Minervam docet.” Cf. Cicero, De Oratore, ii. 57.] *Apprenti n’est pas maÎtre = One must not expect from a beginner the talent of an old hand; You must spoil before you spin. Mur À hauteur d’appui = A wall breast high (so that one may lean against it). Faites la proposition, j’irai À l’appui de la boule = You make the proposal, and I will support it. [This idiom comes from the game of bowls, when by hitting your partner’s ball you may drive it nearer the goal, though unable to approach yourself.] Vous vous appuyez sur un roseau = You are trusting to a broken reed. *AprÈs lui il faut tirer l’Échelle = One cannot do better than he has; No one can come up to him in that; That takes the cake. [Comp. MoliÈre, MÉdecin malgrÉ lui, ii. 1.] *Jeter le manche aprÈs la cognÉe = To throw the helve after the hatchet; To give up in despair. *AprÈs nous le dÉluge = A short life and a merry one; We need not bother about what will happen after we are gone. [These words were attributed to Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764) in reply to those who remonstrated with her for her extravagance—“When I am gone, the deluge may come for all I care.” (See Desprez, Essai sur la Marquise de Pompadour, a preface to his MÉmoirs de Madame du Hausset.) The same idea occurs in the Greek proverb quoted by Cicero (De Finibus, iii. 19), “??? ?a???t?? ?a?a ????t? p???.” Milton suggests Tiberius as saying, “When I die, let the earth be rolled in flames.”—Reason of Church Government, i. 5.] Avoir une araignÉe dans le (or, au) plafond = To have a bee in one’s bonnet. *Entre l’arbre et l’Écorce il ne faut pas mettre le doigt = One must not interfere in other people’s quarrels. [This proverb has been travestied by MoliÈre, who makes Sganarelle say: “Apprenez que CicÉron dit qu’entre l’arbre et le doigt il ne faut pas mettre l’Écorce.”—Le MÉdecin malgrÉ lui, i. 2.] L’arbre ne tombe pas au premier coup = Everything requires time and exertion; Rome was not built in a day. Quand l’arbre est tombÉ tout le monde court aux branches = When the tree falls every one goeth to it with his hatchet. Il s’est toujours tenu au gros de l’arbre = He has always sided with the stronger side. DÉbander l’arc ne guÉrit pas la plaie = To cease doing mischief does not undo the harm one has done. Être ferme sur les arÇons = (lit.) To have a firm seat in the saddle; (fig.) Not to waver in one’s principles. Il a vidÉ les arÇons = He was unhorsed. L’argent est un bon passe-partout = Gold goes in at any gate, except heaven. [“Amour fait moult Mais argent fait tout.”]
Être cousu d’argent = To be made of money; To be rolling in riches. Il est chargÉ d’argent comme un crapaud de plumes = He is penniless. Y aller bon jeu bon argent = To set about a thing in earnest. *Point d’argent, point de Suisse = No money, no Swiss; No pay, no piper. [In the Middle Ages the Swiss were the chief mercenaries of Europe, and occasionally had to resort to severe measures to obtain their pay. Compare Racine, Plaideurs, i. 1. One day when the Swiss were asking for their pay from the king the French Prime Minister said: “The money we have given these Swiss would pave a road from Paris to Basle.” To which the Swiss commander replied: “And the blood we have shed for France would fill a river from Basle to Paris!”] Payer argent comptant = To pay ready money; To pay in hard cash. [Synonyms are: En beaux deniers comptants or, en espÈces sonnantes et trÉbuchantes.] Prendre quelque chose pour argent comptant = To take something for gospel. Je suis À court d’argent (fam. À sec) = I am short of money (fam. hard up, broke). *Qui n’a pas argent en bourse, ait miel en bouche = He who has not silver in his purse should have honey on his tongue. *Argent empruntÉ porte tristesse = He who goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing. ReprÉsenter les armes de Bourges = To look stupid. [The arms of Bourges are an ass sitting in an armchair.] Les armes sont journaliÈres = Victory is fickle. On se l’arrache = (of persons) He is the rage; (of things) There is a regular scramble for it. Mentir comme un arracheur de dents = To lie unblushingly; To lie like an epitaph. Comme vous voilÀ arrangÉ! = What a sight you look! Je l’ai arrangÉ de la bonne maniÈre = I gave him what he richly deserved. Arrangez-vous = That is your business; Settle it among yourselves. Mettre un officier aux arrÊts = To put an officer under arrest. Garder les arrÊts = To keep to one’s quarters. Lever les arrÊts = To release from arrest. C’est un homme qui arrivera = He is sure to get on in the world. *Un malheur n’arrive jamais seul = Misfortunes never come singly; It never rains but it pours. *Cela arrive comme marÉe en carÊme = That comes just in the nick of time (lit. as sea-fish in Lent). See CarÊme. Être À l’article de la mort (or, À l’agonie) = To be at death’s door. [Lat. In articulo mortis.] *Qui se ressemble, s’assemble = Birds of a feather flock together; Like will to like. Il n’est pas dans son assiette = He is not in his normal state of mind; He is out of sorts; He is not up to the mark. Son assiette dÎne pour lui = He pays for his dinner whether he is present or not. C’est un casseur d’assiettes = He is a swaggerer (a Mohock, in eighteenth century parlance). C’est un pique-assiette = He is a parasite, a sponge. L’assiette des impÔts = The assessment of taxes. Le pauvre homme est toujours (comme un chien) À l’attache = The poor man is a very slave, is compelled to work hard and constantly. *Attacher le grelot = To bell the cat. [La Fontaine, Conseil tenu par les rats. For an explanation of the phrase see Grelot.] *Attaquer le taureau par les cornes = To seize the bull by the horns. Porter atteinte (À l’honneur de) = To sully (the fair name of). Porter atteinte (aux droits de) = To infringe (the rights of). C’est une charrette mal attelÉe = They are a badly-matched pair. Une question n’attendait pas l’autre = Question quickly followed after question. Je m’y attendais = That is just what I expected. Attendez-vous-y = You may depend upon it; (or, ironic.) Don’t you wish you may get it! *Tout vient À point À qui sait attendre = Everything comes to the man who waits; Time and patience change the mulberry leaf into a silk gown. On peut s’attendre À tout, surtout À l’inattendu = One may expect anything, especially the unexpected. Attrape qui peut! = Scramble for it! Attrape! = 1. Catch! 2. Take that! 3. It serves you right. Audience À huis clos = A case heard in camera. Les hommes ne se mesurent pas À l’aune = Men are not to be judged by their size. [M. Thiers, who was very short, used to say: “Les liqueurs prÉcieuses se conservent dans de petits flacons” = Rich wares in small parcels.] Savoir ce qu’en vaut l’aune = To know a thing to one’s cost. Mesurer les autres À son aune = To measure other people’s peck by one’s own bushel. Tout le long de l’aune = By the yard; Plenty of it. *Travail d’aurore amÈne l’or = Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. [The late H. Stacy Marks, R.A., parodied this: “Early to bed and early to rise, No use—unless you advertise.” The German equivalent is, “Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund”—The morning hour has gold in its mouth. This is also found in Italian: “Le ore del mattino hanno l’oro in bocca.”] AussitÔt dit, aussitÔt fait = No sooner said than done. Cela est fini ou autant vaut = It is as good as finished. *Autant de tÊtes, autant d’avis = So many men, so many minds. [“Quot homines, tot sententiÆ.”—Terence, Phormio, ii. 4. Also: “Autant de gens, autant de sens.”] Autant lui en pend au nez (or, À l’oreille) = He will get just the same (in bad sense). Autant vaut Être mordu d’un chien que d’une chienne = One evil is as bad as the other. Autant dire mille francs = We may as well say £40. (See Aller.) Autant vaut celui qui tient que celui qui Écorche = The receiver is as bad as the thief. [A hexameter of Phocylides says: ?f?te??? ???pe?, ?a? ? de??e??? ?a? ? ????a?.] C’est toujours autant de gagnÉ = That’s always so much to the good. (See Prendre.) *Qui sert À l’autel doit vivre de l’autel = Every man must live by his profession. Il en prendrait sur l’autel = He would rob a church. Tourner autour du pot = To beat about the bush. [German: “Wie die Katze um den Brei laufen.”] Il ne faut pas confondre autour avec alentour = One must not mix up two things entirely different. [The gamin of Paris adds to this saying: “ni intelligence avec gendarme.”] Comme dit l’autre = As the saying is. [Or: Comme on dit.] Nous parlions de choses et d’autres = We were speaking of different things. C’est tout un ou tout autre = It is either one thing or the other. L’un vaut l’autre = One is as bad as the other. Il en sait bien d’autres = He knows more than one trick. C’est une autre paire de manches = That is quite another thing; That is a horse of another colour. Il n’en fait pas d’autres = That is always the way with him; He is at it again. Allez conter cela À d’autres = Tell that to the marines. [Often shortened to “À d’autres.”] Nous autres Anglais sommes trÈs rÉservÉs = We English are very reserved. [“Nous autres ignorants estions perdus si ce livre ne nous eust relevÉ du bourbier.” Montaigne, Essais, ii. 4, speaking of Amyot’s translation of Plutarch.] *Autres temps, autres moeurs = Manners change with the times. J’en ai vu bien d’autres = I have outlived worse things than that. Faire avaler des couleuvres À quelqu’un = To say very humiliating things to a man who, on account of his inferior position, is obliged to put up with them; To make any one swallow a bitter pill. Votre montre avance de dix minutes = Your watch is ten minutes fast. [Compare: “Votre montre retarde de dix minutes” = Your watch is ten minutes slow.] Cela m’avance bien! (ironic.) = What good is that to me? Vous voilÀ bien avancÉ! (ironic.) = Here you are in a pretty mess! What good have you gained by that? Je n’en suis pas plus avancÉ = I am none the wiser (or, nearer). Vous allez trop avant = You are going too far. Ils sont arrivÉs bien avant dans la nuit = They arrived very late at night. *A pÈre avare, enfant prodigue = A miserly father has a spendthrift son. [“A femme avare, galant escroc.” La Fontaine, Contes,ii.] Avec Ça! (colloquial) = Nonsense! *Un bon averti (or, prÉvenu) en vaut deux = A man well warned is twice a man; Forewarned, forearmed. C’est un homme sans aveu = He is a vagabond. [In feudal times a vassal had to make an avowal to his lord of the lands he held, placing them under his lord’s protection. A man who had no property could not do so.] *Rien ne soulage comme un aveu sincÈre = Open confession is good for the soul. Crier comme un aveugle (qui a perdu son bÂton or, son chien) = To yell with all one’s might. [A variant is: Crier comme un sourd, although deaf people generally speak very quietly.] Il est toujours du bon avis = His opinion is always good. Il y a jour d’avis = There is no hurry; There is plenty of time for consideration. *Avis au lecteur = A note to the reader; A word to the wise; Verb. sap. (Il) m’est avis qu’il cherche À vous tromper = Somehow I think he wants to deceive you. *Deux avis valent mieux qu’un = Two heads are better than one. [The Greeks said: e?? ????, ??de?? ???? = One man, no man.] Sauf avis contraire = Unless I hear (or, write) to the contrary. C’est un avisÉ compÈre = He is a cunning fellow. On y avisera = We will see to it. Il ne s’avise jamais de rien = He never thinks of anything; He has no initiative. On ne s’avise jamais de tout = One never thinks of everything. Ne vous en avisez pas = You had better not. Un fou avise bien un sage = Good advice often comes whence we do not expect it. Un verre de vin avise bien un homme = A glass of wine puts wit into a man. [The French use avoir frequently where we use to be, as in—Avoir faim, soif, chaud, froid, raison, tort, pitiÉ, honte, peur, soin, besoin, mal = To be hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, right, wrong, sorry, ashamed, afraid, careful, in want, ill.] J’aurai raison de son entÊtement = I will master his obstinacy. J’en ai bien envie = I should like it very much. Elle n’a pour tout bien que sa beautÉ = She has nothing but her beauty in her favour; Her face is her fortune. J’en ai pour deux heures = I shall be two hours over it. J’en ai pour six mois À m’ennuyer = I am looking forward to (or, in for) six months’ boredom. Vous avez la parole = It is your turn to speak. Vous avez la main = It’s your turn to play (at cards). Vous avez le dÉ = It’s your turn to play (at dice). Il ne fera cela qu’autant que vous l’aurez pour agrÉable = He will never think of doing it if you object to it. Avoir de quoi (pop.) = To be in easy circumstances. J’ai de quoi payer = I have enough money to pay. Il y a de quoi = (lit.) There is good reason; (ironic.) There is no reason. Je vous demande pardon.—Il n’y a pas de quoi = I beg your pardon.—Pray do not mention it. J’ai beau dire, il en fera À sa tÊte = It is of no use my talking, he will do as he likes. C’est un homme que j’ai dans la main = He is a man I hold in the hollow of my hand, i.e. I can make him do what I like. Qu’avez vous? J’ai que je m’ennuie = What is the matter with you? The matter is that I am bored to death. Vous en aurez = You will catch it. Contre qui en avez-vous? = Against whom have you a grudge? Il n’est rien de tel que d’en avoir = There is nothing like money to make one respected. Quand il n’y en a plus, il y en a encore = The thing is inexhaustible; It is easy to get more. Il n’y a qu’À pleuvoir = It may happen to rain; What if it rains? Je vais lui dire cela.—Non, il n’aurait qu’À se fÂcher = I will tell him that.—No, don’t, he might get angry. C’est un homme comme il n’y en a point = He is a man who has not his match; There is no equal to him. En avril Ne te dÉcouvre pas d’un fil = Change not a clout Till May be out.
[En mai Fais ce qu’il te plaÎt.] |
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