Table
Tenir table ouverte = To keep open house.
Faire table rase = To make a clean sweep and begin again; To start everything afresh.
Jouer cartes sur table = To act frankly, above board.
  TÂche Prendre À tÂche = To make it one’s business. Travailler À la tÂche = To work by the piece. Taillable Vilains taillables et corvÉables À merci = Serfs taxable and workable at their lord’s will and pleasure. Taille Il est de taille À se dÉfendre = He is big enough to defend himself. “Ils nous ont fait une France À leur taille” (BÉranger) = They have brought France down to their level. Se tenant par la taille = With their arms round each other’s waists. Frapper d’estoc et de taille = 1. To cut and thrust. 2. To hit right and left; To lay about one. Talon Il a l’esprit aux talons = He shines at the wrong end; He is not witty. La bande se dispersa, les talons aux Épaules = The gang took to their heels. J’ai l’estomac dans les talons = I am very hungry. Tambour On l’a menÉ tambour battant = They led him with a high hand; They played the martinet with him. Il sortirent tambour battant, mÈche allumÉe = They went out with all the honours of war. Tous tant que nous sommes = Every one of us. Être tant À tant = To be even (in a game). Si cela vous ennuie tant soit peu, ne le faites pas = If that is the least trouble, do not do it. Elle n’est pas jolie, tant s’en faut = She is not pretty, far from it; She is anything but good-looking. Vous m’en direz tant = That alters the case; Ah! now I understand. (See Dire.) Est-ce qu’elle est belle?—Elle est comme il y en a tant = Is she beautiful?—Nothing to stare at; Nothing out of the common. Vous l’avez fait tant bien que mal = You did it in a casual (off-hand) way. Je l’ai fait tant bien que mal = I did it as well as I could, though I know it is not well done. Si tant est que .... = If it be true that.... Tapis Être sur le tapis = To be the subject of general conversation; To be broached. Amuser le tapis (or, la galerie) = To amuse people by talking the time away. Tapisserie Faire tapisserie (fam.) = To be a wall-flower at a ball. Tard *Mieux vaut tard que jamais = Better late than never. [This is first found in Dionysius of Halicarnassus (ix. 11): “It is better beginning late doing our duties than never.”] Tarder Il me tarde de parler = I am anxious to speak. Il ne tardera pas À venir = It will not be long before he comes. Tarte C’est sa tarte À la crÈme = It is his one constant objection. [MoliÈre, École des Femmes, i. 1.] *Tel maÎtre, tel valet = Like master, like man; Like well, like bucket. [“Selon le clerc est deu le maistre.”—Villon, Grand Testament, 568.] *Telle vie, telle fin = Men die as they live. Je vous le rends tel quel = I return it to you just as it was lent to me. Je la prendrai telle quelle = I will take it just as it is. Ce sont des gens tels quels (fam.) = They are “no great shakes,” just ordinary people, humdrum people. Tel est pris qui croyait prendre = It is a case of the biter bit. Monsieur un tel = Mr. So-and-so. Temps Il se donne du bon temps = He does not work too hard; He enjoys himself; He has a good time of it. Il prend le temps comme il vient = He takes things easily. Cela a fait son temps = That has had its day. *Du temps que Berthe filait = When the world was young; When Adam delved and Eve span. Si le temps le permet = Wind and weather permitting. Le temps est À la pluie = It looks like rain. Le temps perdu ne se rÉpare (or, rattrape) pas = Time wasted is gone indeed. *Qui a temps a vie = While there is life, there is hope; Dum spiro spero. Par le temps qui court = Nowadays; As times go. *Autres temps, autres moeurs = Manners change with the times. Au temps! = As you were! (military command). [This is sometimes incorrectly written “Autant,” but military movements were formerly divided into temps. When the drill-sergeant makes a mistake in giving the word of command, he says, “Au temps pour moi” = “My mistake, as you were!”] Tendre Il vaut mieux tendre la main que le cou = It is better to beg than to steal. L’arc toujours tendu se gÂte = All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. [“Neque semper arcum tendit Apollo.”—Horace, Carm, II. x. 20.] Tendresse
[Archbishop Trench quotes the French and German forms as rhyming equally well in both languages; the English, he confesses, is not such a good translation. The German is: Mutter treu’ Tenir Il ne tint À rien qu’ils ne se battissent = They were within an ace of fighting. Quand on est bien, on ne s’y peut tenir = The love of change makes us give up even a comfortable position. Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras = A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. [Also: Un bon aujourd’hui vaut mieux que deux demain.] Il tient de son pÈre = He takes after his father. Il tient À ce livre = He treasures that book. Je ne tiens plus À rien = I no longer care for anything. Il ne tiendra pas À moi qu’il ne rÉussisse = It will not be my fault if he does not succeed. Je le tiens de bonne source = I have it on good authority. Tenir le loup par les oreilles = To be in a critical situation, dilemma. On le tient À quatre = It needs four men to hold him down. Je me suis tenu À quatre pour ne pas lui dire ses vÉritÉs = It was almost more than I could do not to tell him what I thought of him. Il n’y a pas d’amitiÉ qui tienne = Friendship has nothing to do with the question; It must be done in spite of friendship. Qu’À cela ne tienne = Do not let that be any objection; Never mind that. Je n’y tiens pas = I am not particular about it; I am not keen on it. Je n’y tiens plus = I cannot stand it any longer. Je n’y ai pas tenu = I could not contain myself. Je ne sais À quoi m’en tenir = I do not know what to believe. Tenir comme teigne (pop.) = To stick like wax. À quoi cela tient-il? = What is that owing to? Il ne tient qu’À lui de commencer = It rests entirely with him to begin; He can begin when he likes. Cela lui tient au coeur = He is anxious about it. Il n’a pas cÉdÉ, il a tenu bon = He did not give away, he stuck to it. Tenez-vous-le pour dit = Take it for granted; Bear that in mind. Il en tient = 1. He is smitten. 2. He is caught. Tenez-vous-en lÀ = Stop there, go no further in the matter; Be satisfied with what you have already obtained. Tiens! c’est vous? = Hullo! is that you? Tiens, tiens! = Indeed, you don’t say so! Terme *Il y a terme À tout = There is an end to everything. [A German proverb says: “Everything has an end—a sausage two.”] *Qui a terme ne doit rien = No one is obliged to pay before a debt is due. Le terme vaut l’argent = Time is money. MÉnagez un peu vos termes = Moderate your expressions a little; Be a little careful in what you say. Terrain En mathÉmatiques il est sur son terrain = He is quite in his element at mathematics. TÂter le terrain = To feel one’s way (fig.). Terroir Il sent le terroir = He is racy of the soil; He savours of his country. TÊte Il a la tÊte prÈs du bonnet = He is hasty, hot-headed. *Ce sont deux tÊtes dans un bonnet = They are hand and glove together. Cet homme y va tÊte baissÉe = That man rushes blindly into it; That man sets to work energetically. C’est un homme de tÊte = He has a head on his shoulders; He is a man of resource. Il s’est montÉ la tÊte = He got excited over fancied or exaggerated wrongs. C’est une tÊte carrÉe = He is an obstinate fellow. J’en ai par-dessus la tÊte = 1. I am sick and tired of it. 2. I am head over ears in it. Je lui laverai la tÊte (pop.) = I will give it to him; I will give him a sound drubbing. Il ne sait oÙ donner de la tÊte = He does not know which way to turn. [Donner here has the meaning of heurter, frapper de la tÊte.] Donner de la tÊte contre le mur = To hit one’s head against a stone wall. La tÊte me tourne = I feel giddy; my head swims. Il a mauvaise tÊte = He is a wrong-headed fellow. Il fait À sa tÊte = He will have his own way. Cet homme a mauvaise tÊte et bon coeur = That man is quick-tempered, but kind-hearted. Vous lui avez tenu tÊte = You did not give in to him. Cet homme a de la tÊte = That man has his head screwed on the right way. Tiers Il ne faut pas dire vos affaires au tiers et au quart = You must not tell your business to all the world, to everybody. Le tiers et le quart = Tom, Dick, and Harry. Timbre Il a le timbre fÊlÉ (fam.) = He is cracked; He has a screw loose. Tirer Il se fera tirer l’oreille = He will require pressing. Il tire le diable par la queue = He leads a struggling existence. Vous ne me tirerez pas les vers du nez = You will not pump me (i.e. make me tell secrets). Cet homme se tirerait d’un puits = That man would get out of any difficulty, is full of resource. Je me ferais tirer À quatre avant de parler = Wild horses would not make me speak. Il tire (touche) À sa fin = He is on his last legs. Je saurai en tirer parti = I shall be able to turn it to account. *Tirez le rideau, la farce est jouÉe = Ring down the curtain, the play is over. [Words reported to have been said by Rabelais just before his death.] Titre On m’a donnÉ cela À titre gratuit (or, gracieux) = They gave me that for nothing. Cet or n’est pas au titre lÉgal = This gold is not up to the standard. À ce titre (compte) j’y perds = At that rate I am a loser. Toit Crier par-dessus les toits = To proclaim from the housetops. Tomber Je tombe d’accord avec vous sur ce point = I am at one with you on that head. Je tombe des nues = I am astounded. Cet homme-lÀ est bien tombÉ = That man has fallen on his feet; That man has applied to the right person (or, ironic), to the wrong person. L’enfant tombe par terre, mais le fruit tombe À terre = A child falls on the ground, while fruit falls to the earth. [Par terre = from one’s own height; À terre = from any height.] Tordre Je me tordais de rire (fam.) = I was splitting my sides (or, convulsed) with laughter. Tort Vous vous Êtes mis dans votre tort = You put yourself in the wrong. À tort ou À raison = Rightly or wrongly. À tort et À travers = At random, thoughtlessly. TÔt *Le plus tÔt sera le mieux = The sooner, the better. Elle a l’air de ne pas y toucher = She looks as if butter would not melt in her mouth; She is very sarcastic without appearing to mean anything. (Comp. Nitouche.) C’est un touche-À-tout = He is a Jack of all trades; He meddles with everything. Cela touche À la folie = That is but one remove from madness; That borders on lunacy. Touchez-lÀ = Here’s my hand on it. Tour Faire ses quinze (or, trente-six) tours = To do a hundred useless things. *À chacun son tour = Every dog has his day; Now it is my turn. Elle est faite au tour (or, moule) = She has a splendid figure. Il fit cela en un tour de main = He did that in a moment. Un tour de faveur = Permission to go (or, do anything) before one’s turn. Trac Avoir le trac (fam.) = To be funky. Mettre une affaire en train = To put a thing in hand. Pas dans le train = Not up-to-date; Of an older school. Il le mÈne bon train dans cette affaire = He drives him hard in that matter. Il nous a menÉs bon train = He brought us along at a great rate. Allez toujours votre train = Go on as usual. Il est en train d’Écrire = He is in the act of writing; He is just writing. Je ne suis pas en train ce matin = I do not feel myself this morning. Il est en train (pop.) = He is slightly intoxicated. Faire du train (pop.) = To kick up a dust. Il mÈne grand train = He lives like a lord. À fond de train = At full speed. Trait Ce que vous dites n’a pas trait À la question = What you say has nothing to do with the question. Ce sont lÀ de vos traits = That is just like you. Avaler d’un trait = To drink off at one gulp, at a draught. Traite Tout d’une traite = At a stretch, without stopping. Traiter Il m’a traitÉ de fat = He called me a fop. Il m’a traitÉ en roi = He treated me like a lord. TraÎtre Il n’a pas dit un traÎtre mot = He never spoke a single word. Perdre la tramontane = Not to know which way to turn; To lose one’s head. [Literally, to lose one’s bearings. Tramontane is derived from the Italian tramontana, and originally meant the pole-star, which was the star seen from the Mediterranean across the mountains (the Alps). Compare s’orienter. See Boule.] Trancher Cet homme n’est pas trÈs honnÊte, tranchons le mot, c’est un coquin = That man is not very honourable, in plain English, he is a rascal. (See Mot.) Trancher la question, la difficultÉ = To cut the Gordian knot; To solve the difficulty. Trancher du grand seigneur = To try and play the lord. Trancher dans le vif = (lit.) To cut to the quick; (fig.) To set to work in earnest. Travers Il a l’esprit de travers = He has an awkward temper; He does not see things as they are; He is cross-grained. Il me regarda de travers = He looked black (askance) at me. Il prend tout de travers = He takes everything amiss. TrÉfonds J’en sais le fonds et le trÉfonds = I know the ins and outs of it, the long and the short of it. [Also: Je connais les tenants et aboutissants de l’affaire.] Tremper Nous fÛmes trempÉs jusqu’aux os = We were wet to the skin. Trente Être sur son trente-et-un (fam.) = To be dressed up to the nines. Tricherie *Tricherie revient À son maÎtre = Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. Trier Les soldats de la Garde Étaient tous triÉs sur le volet = The soldiers of the Guard were all picked men. [Volet is a gardener’s board on which he sorts seeds.] Triste C’est un triste sire = He is a despicable, dishonourable fellow. Tromper Il n’y a pas À s’y tromper = There is no mistake about it. Trop Je ne sais trop = I don’t exactly know. *Qui dit trop ne dit rien = He who wants to prove too much proves nothing. Trou Faire un trou À la lune (fam.) = To shoot the moon; To fly from one’s creditors. Troubler C’est un trouble-fÊte = He is a mar-joy, a wet blanket. Trousse Le voleur fuyait, mais nous Étions À ses trousses = The thief made off, but we were at his heels. Trouver Cela se trouve bien = That is lucky. Tu Être À tu et À toi = To be on very familiar terms with. Tuer Crier À tue-tÊte = To shout at the top of one’s voice. |
