Rabais
Vente au rabais = Sale at reduced prices; “Selling off.”
  Rabattre Rabattre le caquet À quelqu’un (pop.) = To take a person down a peg; To stop his jaw; To cut his cackle. Il n’a pas un radis (fam.) = He has not a brass farthing. (See Liard.) Raillerie Cela passe la raillerie = That is beyond a joke. (See Entendre.) Raison Il n’entend pas raison lÀ-dessus = He will not listen to reason on that point. Se faire raison À soi-mÊme = To take the law into one’s own hands. Comme de raison = Rightly enough; As might be expected. Plus que de raison = More than is reasonable. Raison de plus = All the more reason. Avoir des raisons avec quelqu’un = To have words with any one; To quarrel with any one. Il faut se faire une raison = We must be guided by reason; We must look at things from a reasonable point of view. [E.g. not go on worrying after a great loss.] Donner raison À quelqu’un = To say any one is right; To give satisfaction to any one (either legally or by a duel). Rancart On l’a mis au rancart = He has been put on the shelf. [Also: Il est sous la remise.] Rang *Tel qui brille au second rang s’Éclipse au premier = A good subordinate often makes a bad leader. Ranger Il s’est rangÉ = He has settled down (after sowing his wild oats). Rare Vous devenez bien rare = You are quite a stranger. Raseur C’est un raseur (fam.) = He is a bore. [Une bassinoire = a passive bore.] Rat Il est gueux comme un rat d’Église = He is as poor as a church mouse. Rate Il ne se foule pas la rate (pop.) = He does not overwork himself; He takes things easily. [Also: Il ne se foule pas le poignet.] Cela lui dÉsopilera la rate = That will cheer him up. RÂtelier Il mange À plus d’un rÂtelier = He has more than one string to his bow; He gains money from different sources. Rattraper *Bien fin qui me rattrapera = Once bit, twice shy; They won’t catch me doing that again. Rebours Il prend les choses À rebours = He misconstrues everything. Rebrousse À rebrousse poil = Against the grain; (To rub) the wrong way. ReconnaÎtre Je vous reconnais bien lÀ = That is just like you. Je ne m’y reconnais plus = I don’t know where I am, what I am about; I am quite at sea. Reculer Il a reculÉ pour mieux sauter = 1. He waited for something better. 2. (ironic.) He avoided a small evil to fall into a greater. [Compare: Mieux reculer que mal assaillir.] Marcher À reculons = To walk backwards. Redire Il trouve toujours À redire = He is always finding fault. Il n’y a rien À redire À cela = There is no fault to be found with that; That is quite all right. RÉflexion RÉflexion faite = After due reflection; On second thoughts. Refrain C’est le refrain de la ballade = It is the old story over again. [“C’est toujours le refrain qu’ils font À leur ballade.”—RÉgnier, Sat. i.] Refus Cela n’est pas de refus (fam.) = That is very acceptable; I won’t say no to that. Refuser *Qui refuse muse = Regarder N’y regardez pas de si prÈs = Do not be so particular. Cela ne me regarde pas = That is not my business; That does not concern me. J’y regarderai À deux fois = I shall think twice before doing it. RÉgler Il est rÉglÉ comme un papier de musique = He is as regular as clockwork. Rein Nous poursuivÎmes l’ennemi l’ÉpÉe dans les reins = We followed the enemy close at his heels. Il s’est donnÉ un tour de reins = He sprained his back. Il a les reins solides = (lit.) He is strong; (fig.) He has a long purse. RÉjouir C’est un gros rÉjoui = He is a big jolly fellow. RemÈde *À chose faite point de remÈde = What is done cannot be undone. [“Factum est illud: fieri infectum non potest.”—Plautus.] Gros Jean qui en remontre À son curÉ = Hodge tries to teach the Parson how to preach; He teaches his grandmother to suck eggs. Remporter Il a remportÉ la victoire = He carried the day. Renard *Renard qui dort la matinÉe RenchÉrir Il renchÉrit sur tout ce qu’il entend dire = He caps every story he hears told. Rencontrer Les beaux esprits se rencontrent = Great wits jump together. [When two persons happen to say the same thing at the same time.] Renfort Pour renfort de potage = Into the bargain; In addition. [MoliÈre, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, iii. 3.] Rengaine C’est toujours la mÊme rengaine (fam.) = It is always the same old story. RenommÉe *Bonne renommÉe vaut mieux que ceinture dorÉe = A good name is better than riches. (See Ceinture.) RÉpandre C’est un homme trÈs rÉpandu = He is a man who goes into society a great deal. Repentir *Le repentir vient ordinairement trop tard = Do a thing in haste and repent at leisure. RÉpondre Je vous en rÉponds! = I will be bound it is; I should think so, indeed! You take my word for it. Reprise J’ai appelÉ mon domestique À plusieurs reprises = I called my servant several times. Reprocher Il me reproche les morceaux = He grudges me the very food I eat. RÉsoudre Je ne puis m’y rÉsoudre = I cannot make up my mind to do it. Ressort Ce n’est pas de mon ressort = That is not within my province, “not in my line.” Il a fait jouer tous les ressorts = He used all the means in his power. Ce tribunal juge en dernier ressort = This court tries without appeal; There is no appeal from the findings of this court. Reste Je ne veux pas Être en reste avec vous = I do not want to do less for you than you have done for me. J’en ai de reste = I have more than enough. Il n’a pas demandÉ son reste! = He soon took himself off, I can tell you! He soon shut up, I can tell you! Retour Il est perdu sans retour = He is past all hope. Il demeure À l’Étranger sans esprit de retour = He is living abroad without thinking of returning. Il me paie de retour = He loves (or, hates) me as much as I love (or hate) him. [E.g. “Vous dites que vous aimez votre mÈre, mais elle vous paie bien de retour.”] Retourner Je sais de quoi il retourne = I know how matters stand. Retraite Battre la retraite = To beat tattoo (or, the retreat.) Battre en retraite = To retreat. Retrouver Je le retrouverai bien = He will not escape me. Revendre Avoir d’une chose À revendre = To have more than enough of a thing. Revenir *Revenons À nos moutons = But to return to our subject. (See Mouton.) Vous en revenez toujours lÀ = You are always harping on that string. Je n’en reviens pas = I cannot get over it (astonishment). [Or, pop., “j’en suis baba.”] N’y revenez pas = (lit.) Do not come here again; (fig.) Do not do that again. Cela revient À dire = That amounts to saying. Cela revient au mÊme = That is just the same thing. Je reviens de loin = (lit.) I come from a long distance; (fig.) I am recovering from a long illness. Son nom ne me revient pas = I do not recollect his name. Sa figure me revient = I like his face. Je suis bien revenu sur le compte de votre frÈre = I have lost all the illusions I had of your brother. RÊver Cet homme rÊve tout ÉveillÉ = That man dreams with his eyes open. Revers *Toute mÉdaille a son revers = There is a dark side to every picture. Revoir À revoir = To be revised. Au revoir! = Till we meet again. Richesse La richesse rend honnÊte = Rich men have no faults. [The bishop’s pun may be repeated: “Get on, get honour, get honest.” “Quand on est couronnÉe, on a toujours le nez bien fait.”—Perrault, Les Souhaits ridicules.] Rien “Dans le siÈcle oÙ nous sommes, [MoliÈre, École des Femmes, iii. 2. Rien here shows its derivation from rem (a thing). It was not always used with ne.] Ne faites semblant de rien = Look as if nothing were the matter. Comme si de rien n’Était = As if nothing were the matter. *Qui ne risque rien n’a rien = Nothing venture, nothing win. [“Qui ne s’aventure perd cheval et mule.”] *Qui ne demande rien n’a rien = Lose nothing for want of asking; If you do not ask, you will not get. Il ne sait rien de rien = 1. He knows absolutely nothing. 2. He is quite in the dark. En un rien de temps = In a trice. En moins de rien = In less than no time. Pas plus gros que rien = Next to nothing. Il n’est rien moins que courageux = He is anything but courageous. Pour rien au monde = Not for the life of me. Rincer Se rincer la dalle (pop.) = To wet one’s whistle. Rire *Rira bien qui rira le dernier = They have most to laugh at who laugh last; Let them laugh that win. *Tel qui rit vendredi dimanche pleurera = Sorrow treads on the heels of mirth; Laugh to-day and cry to-morrow. *Marchand qui perd ne peut rire = Let those laugh who win. Il a toujours le mot pour rire = He is ever ready with a joke; He is full of fun. Il m’a ri au nez = He laughed in my face. Rire aux Éclats = To roar with laughter. Je me tordais de rire (fam.) = I was splitting my sides with laughter. Il riait À gorge dÉployÉe = He was roaring with laughter. Rire dans sa barbe (or, sous cape) = To laugh in one’s sleeve. (See Cape.) Rire du bout des dents = To force a laugh. Rire jaune = To laugh on the wrong side of one’s mouth. Rire aux anges = 1. To laugh immoderately; 2. To laugh to oneself. C’est un pince-sans-rire = He is a dry joker. RisÉe Il est la risÉe de tout le monde = He is the laughing-stock of every one. Roche C’est un homme de la vieille roche = He belongs to the good old stock; He is a man of the old school. Clair comme de l’eau de roche = As clear as crystal. Roi C’est la cour du roi PÉtaud = This is bedlam let loose; Dover Court—all speakers, no hearers. [Le roi PÉtaud (Lat. peto = I ask) was the chief that beggars used to choose for themselves. As he had no more authority than his subjects, the name is given to a house where every one is master. Comp. MoliÈre, Tartufe, i. 1.— “On n’y respecte rien, chacun y parle haut, Le roi n’est pas son cousin = He is very haughty (so that he would not acknowledge the king as his cousin). Rompre Applaudir un acteur À tout rompre = To applaud an actor so as to bring the house down (to lift the roof). Rondement Il y va rondement = He acts frankly and quickly. Il mÈnera cette affaire rondement = He will not dally about that matter. Rose Il n’est point de rose sans Épines = Every rose has its thorn; No rose without a thorn. RÔti Il ne faut pas s’endormir sur le rÔti = We must keep our wits about us; We must not neglect our work; We must not be too slow over it; We must not rest on our laurels. [Literally, to go to sleep whilst cooking the meat.] Roue Il fait la roue = He shows off. Rouge Se fÂcher tout rouge = To get into a passion. Voir rouge = To be seized with a sudden thirst for blood. Roulette Cela marche comme sur des roulettes = That is getting on swimmingly. Royaliste Être plus royaliste que le roi (plus catholique que le pape) = To out-Herod Herod. RoyautÉ “La royautÉ, place noyÉe de lumiÈre oÙ toute tache paraÎt une fange sordide” = Rubis Faire (or, payer) rubis sur l’ongle = To pay to the last farthing. [This expression means literally to drain a tumbler so completely that there just remains in it one drop of wine, which being put on the nail looks like a ruby. “Je sirote mon vin, quel qu’il soit, vieux, nouveau; *Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes riviÈres = Many a little makes a mickle. |
