Chapter M: Mâcher (3)

_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 mœurs_ = 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

_Tendresse maternelle_ } = { A mother’s truth
_Toujours se renouvelle._ } { Keeps constant youth.

[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’
Wird täglich neu.]

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 cœur_ = 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 cœur_ = 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.

Toucher

_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.

Train

_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.

Tramontane

_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.

U.

Un

_Ne faire ni une ni deux_ = To make no bones about it; To make up
one’s mind quickly.

_C’est tout un_ = It is all the same.

Union

_L’union fait la force_ = United we stand, divided we fall.

Usine

_Ce ne sont que des usines à bachot_ (pop.) = They are mere
cramming shops.

[_Bachot_ = _baccalauréat_ = matriculation. The French equivalent
for our B.A. is rather _licencié-ès-lettres_, although the
examinations in the two countries are so different that any
comparison is very difficult.]