Tout y va, la paille et le blÉ = He spends all he has. Il mourra sur la paille = He will die in the gutter. Il est sur la paille = He is exceedingly poor. Tirons À la courte paille = Let us draw lots. *Cela enlÈve la paille = “That takes the cake.” [The French is hardly as popular an expression as the English, which might be rendered in French by dÉcrocher la timbale. Quitard derives paille from paÎle, a kind of rich cloth given as a prize in athletic contests. LittrÉ imagines it originated with amber, which has the property of raising light objects, such as straw. Madame de SÉvignÉ writes (13th Jan. 1672): “Racine a fait une comÉdie qui s’appelle Bajazet et qui enlÈve la paille.” The English expression is said to come from the custom of negroes, when giving a ball, to provide a cake to be given to the best-dressed couple. The competitors walk round and are judged by the other guests. Hence the term cake-walk.] Cet homme est bon comme le pain = That man is goodness itself. Il a mangÉ son pain blanc le premier = He had the best of his life first; His happiest days are over. [In many parts of the Continent white bread is not the matter of course that it is in England; brown or black bread is the usual fare of the poorer classes.] *Tel grain, tel pain = What you sow, you must mow. On lui a fait passer le goÛt du pain (fam.) = They killed him. C’est pain bÉnit = It serves you (him, her, them) right. Il a du pain sur la planche = He has saved money; He has enough to live upon; He has put something by for a rainy day; There is plenty of work for him to do. *De tout s’avise À qui pain faut (manque) = Necessity is the mother of invention. *Pain tant qu’il dure, vin À mesure = Eat at pleasure, drink by measure. *Il ne vaut pas le pain qu’il mange = He is not worth his salt. Il sait son pain manger = He knows on which side his bread is buttered. *C’est un long jour qu’un jour sans pain = ’Tis a long lane that has no turning. *Pain dÉrobÉ rÉveille appÉtit = Stolen joys are sweet. [“Pain qu’on dÉrobe et qu’on mange en cachette,
Vaut mieux que pain qu’on cuit et qu’on achÈte.”
La Fontaine, Les Troqueurs.]
Je ne mange pas de ce pain-lÀ = I don’t go in for that sort of thing. Hors de pair = Beyond all comparison; Above the level of others. Traiter quelqu’un de pair À compagnon = To be hail-fellow-well-met with any one; To treat any one on an equal footing. *Les deux font la paire (fam.) = They are well matched; Arcades ambo. *Je l’ai envoyÉ paÎtre (fam.) = I sent him about his business. Paix et peu = Anything for a quiet life. *Adieu paniers, vendanges sont faites = You come too late, it is all over. [The chorus of an old glee sung by the grape-pickers when their labours were finished. Comp. Rabelais, Gargantua, xxvii.] Vous me donnez le dessus du panier = You give me the best, the pick. [Le dessous du panier = the refuse.] C’est un panier percÉ = He is a spendthrift. Donner dans le panneau = To fall into the trap. Il n’a pas fait une panse d’a aujourd’hui = He has not done a stroke all day. [Panse d’a = the round part of an a.] Il n’est pas dans mes petits papiers = He is not in my good books. [“Oh! pourvu que je sois
Dans les petits papiers du Mercure FranÇois.”
Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, ii. 8.]
Je lui ai donnÉ son paquet = I gave him the sack. Faire un paquet = To make a parcel. Faire son paquet = To pack up and go. De par le roi = By the king’s command. [“De par le roi, dÉfense À Dieu
De faire miracle en ce lieu.”
A cynical couplet that arose when Louis XV. prohibited pilgrimages to the tomb of FranÇois de PÂris, behind the Church of St. MÉdard in Paris, because of the Convulsionnaires.] Sans qu’il y paraisse, c’est un homme fort instruit = Without making any show he is a very well-informed man. A ce qu’il me paraÎt = As far as I can judge, see. Le livre vient de paraÎtre = The book is just out, just published. Il n’y paraÎt plus = There is no trace of it. Il n’y paraÎt pas = One would not have thought it. J’ai le pareil = I have one like it. Je vous rendrai la pareille = 1. I will pay you out. 2. I will do the same for you. On n’a jamais vu chose pareille = One never heard of such a thing. *Ce sont les paresseux qui font le plus de chemin = Lazy people take the most pains. Parier Il y a cent (or, gros) À parier qu’ils ne reviendront pas = The odds are that they will not come back. Il prend Paris pour Corbeil, le PirÉe pour un homme = “He does not know a hawk from a handsaw.” [Hamlet, ii. 2, where “handsaw” is a corruption of hernshaw = heron. This was an old proverb, corrupted before Shakespeare’s day. “Pour grain ne prenant paille ou Paris pour Corbeil.”—RÉgnier, Sat. xiv.] Le Tout-Paris de ce temps-lÀ = The fashionable world of Paris of that day. Nous parlions de la pluie et du beau temps = We were not talking of anything important or confidential; We were talking of indifferent matters. Parler de bouche
Au coeur ne touche | }= | Lip worship does not
reach the heart. | C’est À vous À parler = It is your turn to speak. C’est À vous de parler = It is your duty to speak. Qu’il vienne, il trouvera À qui parler = Let him come, he will find his match. Trop gratter cuit, trop parler nuit = Least said, soonest mended; Speech is silvern, silence is golden. [Italian: Chi parla semina, chi tace raccoglie = Who speaks sows, who keeps silence reaps.
Qui d’autruy parler voudra
Regarde soi et il taira.]
*Jamais beau parler n’Écorcha la langue = Fair words never did harm; Civility costs nothing. Il a son franc parler = He is free-spoken. *Vous avez la parole = It is your turn to speak; You are allowed to speak (i.e. you have caught the Speaker’s eye). See Avoir. Je lui coupai la parole = I interrupted him. *Un homme d’honneur n’a que sa parole = An honest man’s word is as good as his bond. Être de parole = To be as good as one’s word. Manquer de parole (or, manquer À sa parole) = To break one’s word. Tenir parole = To keep one’s word. En bonne ou mauvaise part = In a good or bad sense. Nous le savons de bonne part = We know it on good authority. Il est bien partagÉ = The Fates have been kind to him. Il a pris son parti = 1. He has made up his mind. 2. He has resigned himself to it. De parti pris = Deliberately. C’est un parti pris = His mind is made up; It is a foregone conclusion. C’est un parti pris chez lui de toujours contredire = He will always contradict. A parti pris point de conseil = Advice is useless when a man’s mind is made up. Il tire parti de tout = He makes a profit out of everything. Il sait tirer parti de la vie = He knows how to make the best of life. Il a ÉpousÉ un bon parti = He made a good match. Il vous fera un mauvais parti = He will try and pick a quarrel with you so as to ill-use you, to do you harm. Il m’a pris À partie = He took me to task; (legally) He summoned me. [Partie is literally a man who pleads against any one in a lawsuit. Compare: “Va, je suis ta partie et non pas ton bourreau.”
Corneille, Cid, 839.]
C’Était une partie nulle = It was a drawn game. Marcher À pas de gÉant = To put on one’s seven-league boots. Se tirer d’un mauvais pas = To get out of an awkward fix (scrape). *Il n’y a que le premier pas qui coÛte = In everything the beginning is the most difficult part; The first step downward makes the others easier. [“Il n’y a que le premier obstacle qui coÛte À vaincre.”—Bossuet, PensÉes chrÉtiennes, 9.] Il prend le pas sur moi = He takes precedence of me. J’y vais de ce pas = I am going there directly. Je le mettrai au pas = I will put him on his good behaviour. Marquer le pas = (lit.) To mark time; (fig.) To wait for a post to which one has a right. Marchez au pas = Drive slowly; Walk in step. Il est en passe de devenir ministre = He is in a fair way (he stands a good chance) to become a Cabinet Minister. Il faut bien que j’en passe par lÀ = I must submit to that; I must put up with it. Nous ne pouvons nous passer de cela = We cannot do without that. *Passons au dÉluge = We know all about that, let us come to the point; Don’t let us go over all that again, we will take it for granted. [Racine, Plaideurs, iii. 3; where L’IntimÉ, the lawyer, wishes to relate the history of the world from the creation, and Dandin, the judge, begs him to skip all until the flood.] Cette couleur passera = That colour will fade. *Passe-moi la casse (rhubarbe), je te passerai le sÉnÉ = Claw me and I’ll claw thee; One hand washes the other, and both wash the face. Passez-moi ce mot-lÀ = Excuse the expression. J’en passe ... et des meilleurs = Some of the best I pass over. [Victor Hugo, Hernani, iii. 6.] On ne passe pas = No thoroughfare. [Rue barrÉe = Road stopped.] Vous faites des pattes de mouche = You have a small, ill-formed handwriting. Il marche À quatre pattes = He walks on all-fours. Aux pauvres la besace = The back is made for the burden. L’homme pauvre est toujours en pays Étranger = The poor are never welcomed; All bite the bitten dog. *PauvretÉ n’est pas vice = Poverty is no crime. Les pavÉs le disent = It is in every one’s mouth. Il est sur le pavÉ = He is out of work. Prendre le haut du pavÉ = To take the wall. Payer de sa personne = To bravely expose oneself to danger; To risk one’s skin. Être payÉ pour savoir = To know a thing to one’s cost. Payer d’audace = To put on a bold face; To brazen a thing out. Payer les violons = To pay the piper. Je ne me paye pas de mauvaises raisons = I will only be satisfied with good reasons. Vous vous payez de mots = You are the dupe of words; You are taken in by empty words. Il me la payera = I will make him smart for it. Qui paye ses dettes s’enrichit = Debt is the worst kind of poverty. Payer son Écot = To pay one’s share (scot). Il veut se payer ma tÊte = He wishes to have the laugh of me. *Pays ruinÉ vaut mieux que pays perdu = Half a loaf is better than no bread. Je lui ferai voir du pays = I will lead him a pretty dance. *Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tuÉ = Do not count your chickens before they are hatched; First catch your hare. [“Il m’a dit qu’il ne faut jamais
Vendre la peau de l’ours qu’on ne l’ait mis par terre.”
La Fontaine, Fables, v. 20.]
Il crÈve dans sa peau (fam.) = (lit.) He is extremely fat; (fig.) He is bursting with pride, spite. Faire peau neuve = To turn over a new leaf. *PÉchÉ avouÉ est À demi pardonnÉ = A fault confessed is half redressed. Elle est laide comme les sept pÉchÉs capitaux = She is as ugly as sin. On est puni par oÙ l’on a pÉchÉ =
“The Gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to scourge us.” [King Lear, v. 3.] Cela ne vaut pas la peine = It is not worth the trouble; It is not worth while. Mourir À la peine = 1. To die in harness. 2. To work oneself to death. Je ne peux pas le voir mÊme en peinture = I hate the very sight of that man. Il y avait quatre pelÉs et un tondu = There were only a few people and those of no importance; Only the tag, rag, and bobtail were there. *La pelle se moque du fourgon = It is the pot calling the kettle black. [Another English variant is: “The kiln calls the oven: Burnt house.” The Italians say: “La padella dice al pajuolo, ‘Fatti ni la che tu me tigni’” = The pan says to the pot, “Keep off or you’ll smutch me.” The Germans: “Ein Esel schimpft den andern Langohr” = One ass nicknames another Longears.] Remuer l’argent À la pelle = To have plenty of money. Il a fait sa pelote = He has feathered his nest. Cet homme n’a pas son pendant (or, pareil) = That man has not his match. Il a dit pis que pendre de vous = He said everything that was bad of you; According to him, hanging is too good for you. À ce que je pense = To my mind. Sans penser À mal = Without meaning any mischief. Rien que d’y penser j’en ai le frisson = The bare thought of it makes me shudder. Cela donne furieusement À penser = That is very suggestive. Sans arriÈre-pensÉe = Without reserve; With no after-thought. *Un de perdu, deux de retrouvÉs = When one door shuts, another opens. Je m’y perds = I am getting bewildered; I cannot make head or tail of it. Il perd la carte = He is getting confused. C’est du bien perdu = It is casting pearls before swine. *Qui perd pÈche = He who loses sins; Nothing succeeds like success. *Toujours des perdrix = The best things pall in time. Nous ne sommes pas ici pour enfiler des perles = We are not here to trifle our time away. Ce n’est pas le PÉrou (fam.) = It’s no great catch. C’est la bontÉ en personne = He (or, She) is kindness itself. À perte de vue = As far as the eye can reach. Je suis en perte = I am out of pocket. J’ai fait cela en pure perte = What I have done is completely useless; All I have done is to no purpose. Il vaut son pesant d’or = He is worth his weight in gold. Elles sont aux petits soins pour leur vieille mÈre = They are all attention to their old mother. *Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes riviÈres = Many a little makes a mickle. *Petit À petit l’oiseau fait son nid = Little strokes fell great oaks. (See Maille and Ruisseau.) [Also: Grain À grain amasse la fourmi son pain.
Peu À peu la vieille file sa quenouille.
Latin: Adde parvum parvo tandem fit magnus acervus. Italian: A passo a passo se va lontana.
Little and often fills the purse.] En petit = On a small scale. *Petit mercier, petit panier = A small pack becomes a small pedlar. [“Little boats should keep the shore,
Larger ships may venture more.”
Latin: Pauper agat caute.] *Petite cervelle, prompte colÈre = A little pot is soon hot. Je suis dans le pÉtrin (fam.) = I am in a mess, fix. Les finances sont en ce moment dans un pÉtrin impossible = The finances are in horrible disorder just now. Si peu que rien = Next to nothing. Imaginez un peu! = Just fancy! Pour peu que cela vous ennuie = However little it annoys you. Tant soit peu meilleur = Be it ever so little better; A shade better. À peu de chose prÈs = Not far off. Elle Était mise À faire peur = She looked a fright. Il a eu plus de peur que de mal = He was more frightened than hurt. Faire des phrases = To speak affectedly. *Il a trouvÉ la pie au nid = He has found a mare’s nest. Elle jase comme une pie borgne = She chatters like a magpie. J’ai fait cela de toutes piÈces = I have done that entirely (i.e. every part of it). Je lui ai donnÉ la piÈce = I gave him a trifle, tip. C’est la piÈce de rÉsistance = It is the principal dish (of a meal). Il a bon pied, bon oeil = He is hale and hearty. Sur le pied oÙ en sont les choses = Considering how matters stand. Il ne sait sur quel pied danser = He does not know which way to turn. Partir du bon pied = To put one’s best foot foremost. Je ferai des pieds et des mains pour vous Être utile = I will do my utmost (strain every nerve) to serve you. ArmÉ de pied en cap = Armed from head to foot, cap-À-pie. Le pied m’a manquÉ = My foot slipped. Mettre (quelqu’un) À pied = (fam.) To dismiss (a functionary); To deprive a cabman of his licence. Il a trouvÉ chaussure À son pied = He has found just what he wanted; He has found his match. LÂcher pied = 1. To lose ground. 2. To scamper away. Lever le pied = To decamp (of a dishonest banker, etc.). Vous m’avez tirÉ une Épine du pied = (fig.) You have got me out of a difficulty. (See Épine.) J’ai fait mon travail d’arrachÉ pied = I did my work straight off, without stopping. De plain pied = On the same level (of rooms on the same floor, or on a level with the ground). Il a le pied marin = He has got his sea-legs; He is a good sailor. Sauter À pieds joints sur quelqu’un = (fig.) To ride rough-shod over any one. Il ne se mouche pas du pied (pop.) = 1. He is a man of importance; He gives himself airs. 2. He is no fool. [A favourite trick of a tumbler in olden times was to take one of his feet in his hands and pass it quickly under his nose. Hence the expression would be equivalent to: he is no tumbler or common fellow. “N’est pas un homme, non, qui se mouche du pied.” MoliÈre, Tartufe, iv. 5.] Aller du pied (or, Courir) comme un chat maigre = To be a good walker. Il sÈche sur pied = He is pining away. La mort l’a pris au pied levÉ = Death took him without a moment’s notice. [Literally, just at the moment he was starting to go out.] Pierre *Faire d’une pierre deux coups = To kill two birds with one stone. *Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse = A rolling stone gathers no moss. [The Greek form was: ????? ?????d?e??? t? f???? ?? p??e?.] Cela ferait rire un tas de pierres = That would make a cat laugh. Sa montre est au mont de piÉtÉ = His watch is at the pawnbroker’s. (See Accrocher.) Avoir pignon sur rue = To have a house of one’s own. Jouer À pile ou face = To play pitch and toss, heads or tails. Il n’a ni croix ni pile = He has not a rap. [“Sans croix ne pile.”—La Fontaine, Contes, ii. “Whacum had neither cross nor pile.”—Butler, Hudibras, ii. 3. Pile is literally the reverse of a coin.] C’est un pilier d’estaminet (or, de cafÉ) = He is a public-house lounger, a pub-loafer. Dorer la pilule = To gild the pill. Casser sa pipe (pop.) = To kick the bucket; To hop the twig; To die. Piquer la curiositÉ de quelqu’un = To rouse some one’s curiosity. Il se pique d’un rien = He takes offence at the slightest thing. Il s’est piquÉ d’honneur = He made it a point of honour; He was put upon his mettle. Piquer des deux = (lit.) To spur a horse with both heels; To gallop off at full speed; (fig.) To run very fast. Piquer une tÊte (fam.) = To take a header. VoilÀ un discours qui n’est pas piquÉ des vers = That’s a fine speech if you like [lit. not worm-eaten.] Se piquer au jeu = (lit.) To continue obstinately to play although losing; (fig.) To go on in an enterprise in spite of all obstacles. *Qui va À la chasse perd sa place = If you leave your place, you lose it. “Accordez-vous si votre affaire est bonne,
Si votre cause est mauvaise, plaidez.”
[J. B. Rousseau, Épigrammes, ii. 19] = If you’ve a good case, try and compromise; If you’ve a bad one, take it into court. Il ne demande que plaie et bosse = He seeks quarrels only to draw profit from them. Il ne cherche que plaie et bosse = He is always hankering after a black eye. Une bonne plaisanterie mÉrite les honneurs du bis = A good tale is none the worse for being told twice. RelÉguer (mettre) au second plan = To put into the background. Faire la planche = 1. To show others the way; 2. To float on one’s back. C’est sa planche de salut = It is his last hope, his sheet-anchor. Le plancher des vaches (fam.) = Dry land; Terra firma. DÉbarrasse-moi le plancher (fam.) = Get out of my way. Vous m’avez plantÉ lÀ = You left me without any warning; You left me in the lurch. Il nous a servi un plat de son mÉtier (or, de sa faÇon) = He played us one of his tricks. On mit les petits plats dans les grands pour le bien recevoir (fam.) = They spared neither trouble nor money to receive him well; They received him with much fuss. Il a mis les pieds dans le plat (fam.) = He put his foot in it. Ce mari bat sa femme comme plÂtre = That husband beats his wife like a dog. Essuyer les plÂtres = To live in a newly-built house (and therefore damp). (See Essuyer.) Battre son plein = To be in full swing. Plein comme un oeuf (fam.) = Chock-full. En pleine rue = In the open street. En pleine mer = On the high seas. La niaise! pleurer À chaudes larmes pour une vÉtille = The silly girl! to cry her eyes out for a trifle. Pleuvoir des hallebardes = To rain cats, dogs, and pitchforks. Cela ne fera pas un pli = There will not be the slightest difficulty. Si vous n’y prenez (pas) garde, il prendra un mauvais pli = If you are not careful he will get into bad habits. *AprÈs la pluie le beau temps = Every cloud has a silver lining. Nous parlions de la pluie et du beau temps = We were talking of indifferent matters. Il fait la pluie et le beau temps dans cette maison = His will is law in that house; He is the boss of that show (fam.). *Plus on a, plus on veut avoir = Much would have more. Il connaÎt Paris comme sa poche = He knows Paris perfectly; He knows all the ins and outs of Paris; His knowledge of Paris is extensive and peculiar. Un brave À trois poils = The bravest of the brave; A hero of the first water. [This expression is derived from three-piled velvet. See MoliÈre, Les PrÉcieuses Ridicules, 12.] Monter À poil = To ride barebacked. *Un point À temps en Épargne cent = A stitch in time saves nine. [Spanish: Quien no adoba gotera adoba casa entera = Who repairs not his gutter repairs his whole house.] Cela vient À point = That comes opportunely. La viande est cuite À point = The meat is done to a turn. Vous venez À point nommÉ = You come in the nick of time, at the necessary moment, just when you are wanted. Mettez les points sur les i = Be precise, clear (in speaking or writing); Cross your t’s and dot your i’s. Il vous rendrait des points = He is more than a match for you; He could give you points. Il vous rendra des points = He will give you odds (at a game). Il y a un point noir À l’horizon = There are breakers ahead. *Coupons la poire en deux = Let us split the difference. Elle faisait trop sa poire (pop.) = She needed pressing; She played the prude (or, disdainful). [“Il Était trop homme pour faire sa poire.”] Nous en causerons entre la poire et le fromage = We will talk it over at dessert. Garder une poire pour la soif = To lay up something for a rainy day. On lui a fait un poisson d’avril = They made him an April fool. Je suis comme un poisson sur la paille = I am like a fish out of water. C’est le secret de Polichinelle = It is an open secret; Every one knows it. Il a avalÉ la pratique de Polichinelle = He is very hoarse. [La pratique de Polichinelle is the squeaker that a Punch-and-Judy man puts in his mouth during a performance.] *Force politesse, trop de finesse = Full of courtesy, full of craft. Il se porte comme le Pont Neuf = He is in splendid health. C’est vieux comme le Pont Neuf = Queen Anne is dead; It is as old as the hills. [The Pont Neuf was finished in 1604 during the reign of Henry IV., and is now the oldest bridge in Paris. The statue of Henry IV. in the middle of the bridge was erected originally in 1635, but the present one dates only from 1818. Another expression is:
Henri Quatre est sur le Pont Neuf = That’s stale news.] Il a l’air de revenir de Pontoise = He looks down in the mouth; He answers in a silly fashion. [The origin of this expression is said to be that in 1720 and in 1753 the Parlement was exiled to Pontoise, about twenty miles north of Paris, for its rebellion to the King. Perhaps from the fact that when they returned they were besieged with questions, to which they gave confused answers, the saying arose and was applied to anyone that had a simple, idiotic appearance.] Ils ont mis la clef sous la porte = They absconded. Il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermÉe = You must decide one way or the other. [The title of one of Alfred de Musset’s Proverbes.] On l’a mis À la porte = They turned him out. Il a ÉtÉ mis À la porte par les oreilles et les deux Épaules = He was turned out ignominiously, neck and crop. On a condamnÉ la porte = The door is nailed up, blocked up. À sa portÉe (or, À portÉe de sa main) = Within his reach. À (la) portÉe de la voix = Within call. À (une) portÉe de fusil = Within gunshot. C’est elle qui porte la culotte = She is mistress in this house (not her husband); The grey mare is the better horse. On le porte aux nues = They praise him to the skies. Ses plaisanteries portent coup = His jokes hit the mark. C’est un poseur = He is a prig (lit. attitudiniser). [There are several varieties of prigs, e.g.—
un savantasse = a learned prig.
un collet montÉ = a stiff-and-starched prig.
un cafard = a Pecksniff.
un fat = a conceited ass.
un freluquet = a whipper-snapper.
See Journal of Education, March 1896.]
*En fait de meubles possession vaut titre = Possession is nine points of the law. Pas possible! = You don’t say so! “Well, I never!” Il dÉcouvrit bientÔt le pot aux roses = He soon found out the secret. *Un pot fÊlÉ dure longtemps = A creaking door hangs long: Ailing folk live longest. *Il n’y a si mÉchant pot qui ne trouve son couvercle = Every Jack must have his Jill. [Also: À un boiteux, femme qui cloche.] Il a reÇu un pot-de-vin = He received a bribe, an illicit commission. [A pot-de-vin is a gratuity given to B by A because B obtained for A an order from C. It implies the idea of a bribe, for if everything had been fair A would not have obtained his order from C, either because his terms were too high or his wares not good enough.] Payer les pots cassÉs = To stand the racket; To pay the damage; To face the music. Tourner autour du pot = To beat about the bush. C’est le pot de terre contre le pot de fer = It is a most unequal combat. Je vais potasser (piocher) un brin (students’ slang) = I’m going to swot (mug up) a bit. Faire du potin (chambard, boucan) (pop.) = To kick up a row, a shindy. Manger sur le pouce = To take a snack. Mettre les pouces = To give in, to knuckle under. Lire du pouce (or, doigt) = To skip in reading (i.e. to do more work with the thumb than the brain). *Il n’a pas inventÉ la poudre = He will never set the Thames on fire. C’est une poule mouillÉe = He is a milk-sop. Mettre un homme en pourpoint = To pull a man’s cloak off; To ruin a man. Se mettre en pourpoint = To be ready to fight; To roll up one’s sleeves. Tirer un coup (de pistolet, etc.) À brÛle-pourpoint = To fire point-blank. Un argument À brÛle-pourpoint = A convincing argument. Donner À quelqu’un un pourpoint de pierre = To give any one a stone doublet; To imprison any one. Je n’y puis rien = I cannot help it; I can do nothing in the matter. Si faire se peut = If possible. Je n’en puis plus = I am done up, exhausted. Je n’en puis mais = I cannot help it; It is no fault of mine. (See Mais.) Cela se peut = That may be. Cela ne se peut pas = It cannot possibly be; It cannot be done. On fait comme on peut = We must do the best we can; We have done the best we could. Il est toujours on ne peut plus aimable = He is always as nice as can be. Il prÊche dans le dÉsert = (lit.) He preaches to empty benches; (fig.) All his talking will not convince any one. Chacun prÊche pour son saint = Every one has an eye to his own interest. Nous sommes au premier = We are on the first floor. Nous sommes en premiÈre = We are in a first-class railway carriage. Le premier venu = (fig.) No matter who (or, whom); The man in the street. *Les premiers vont devant = First come, first served. [“Whoso first cometh to the mill, first grint.”—Chaucer.] Il prend sur son sommeil pour Étudier = He works far into the night. C’est autant de pris sur l’ennemi = So much saved out of the fire; So much to the good. Bien lui en prit d’avoir fermÉ sa porte = It was lucky for him that he shut his door. Il prend le chemin de l’hÔpital = He is on the highway to ruin. Je m’en prends À vous = I lay the blame at your door. Je vous y prends = I catch you at it. Ça ne prend pas (fam.) = “That’s no go.” Je sors d’en prendre (fam.) = I had rather be excused; You will not catch me again so soon. Qu’est-ce qui vous prend? = What is the matter with you? [This is said to persons doing something suddenly without any apparent reason, or suddenly becoming bad-tempered, etc., not to invalids.] Je vais vous montrer comment il faut s’y prendre = I am going to show you how to set about it. *Ce qui est bon À prendre est bon À garder = What is worth taking is worth keeping; “Findings, keepings.” Prenez-vous-en À vous-mÊme = You have yourself to thank for it. À tout prendre = On the whole; Everything considered. À cela prÈs il est bon enfant = Except for that he is a good fellow. Il n’y a pas presse = There is no hurry! *Plus on se presse, moins on arrive = The more haste, the less speed. Fendre la presse = To make one’s way through the crowd. Courir la pretentaine = To gad about. Il prÊte de l’argent À la petite semaine = He lends money for a short time at a high rate of interest. Un prÊtÉ pour un rendu = A Roland for an Oliver. PrÊter le flanc À ... = To lay oneself open to... PrÊter serment = To take the oath. Ce drap prÊte = This stuff gives, stretches. Elle prime par sa laideur = She takes the cake for ugliness. Aux frais de la Princesse = At another’s expense (chiefly of the State Government). Ils Étaient aux prises = They had closed; They were at close quarters. Je les ai mis aux prises = I have set them one against the other. Je leur ai donnÉ prise sur moi = I gave them a handle on me. LÂcher prise = To let go one’s hold. Sans autre forme de procÈs = Without any more ado. Je l’ai envoyÉ promener (or, paÎtre) = I sent him about his business. Va te promener! (fam.) = Go to Jericho! Get along with you! [Compare: “????? e?? a?a??a?” = Go to Glory.—Plato, Hipp. Major, 293A—a euphemism for ????? e?? ?d??.] *Chose promise, chose due = Promises should be kept. Promettre et tenir sont deux = It is one thing to promise, another to perform. Il est venu fort À propos = He came very opportunely. À propos, viendrez-vous ce soir? = By the way, shall you come this evening? L’À-propos fait le mÉrite = Seasonableness gives everything its price. À propos de bottes = With reference to nothing in particular; With no reference to the subject in hand. Il le dit À tout propos = He says it on every occasion, at every turn. Il l’a fait de propos dÉlibÉrÉ = He did it of set purpose; He had made up his mind to do it. Il l’a fait fort mal À propos = He did it very unseasonably, just at the wrong time. C’est du propre (ironic.) = A fine thing indeed. Il n’a rien en propre = He has nothing of his own. Un propre-À-rien = A good-for-naught. Propre À tout et bon À rien = Jack of all trades and master of none. Propre comme un sou neuf = As clean as a whistle; As neat as a new pin. Je ne le ferai pas pour des prunes (fam.) = I shall not do it for nothing. [Also: Je ne le ferai pas pour le roi de Prusse. This latter saying is said to have originated with Voltaire, who, after having been exceedingly intimate with Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, finally quarrelled with him. Both this King and his father, Frederick William I., were known to be exacting and miserly.] Je lui ai mis la puce À l’oreille = I made him feel uneasy (by rousing his suspicions, etc.); I sent him away with a flea in his ear. Cet homme est un puits de science = He is a man of deep learning.
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