Chapter III: Preface (2)

The phrase first appears in PLUTARCH’S _Life of Æmilius Paullus_.
A certain Roman having forsaken his wife, her friends fell out
with him and asked what fault he found in her; was she not
faithful and fair, and had she not borne him many beautiful
children? He replied by putting forth his foot and saying: “Is
not this a goodly shoe? Is it not finely made, and is it not new?
And yet I dare say there is not one of you can tell where it
pinches me.”]

Bataillon

_Inconnu au bataillon_ (fam.) = I don’t know him; No one knows
him.

Bataille

_C’était une bataille rangée_ = It was a pitched battle.

_Cet argument est son cheval de bataille_ = That argument is his
stronghold; That is his great argument.

Bateau

_Arriver en trois bateaux_ = To come with great fuss, in great
state, with unnecessary ceremony.

[This expression is usually used sarcastically; it originates
from great personages or rich merchant-men being accompanied by
ships of war. Compare RABELAIS, i. 16, and LA FONTAINE, _Fables_,
ix. 3. _Le léopard et le singe qui gagnent de l’argent à la
foire._]

Bâton

_Il travaille à bâtons rompus_ = He works by fits and starts.

_Conversation à bâtons rompus_ = Desultory talk.

_Il cherchait à nous mettre des bâtons dans les roues_ = He tried
to put a spoke in our wheel.

_Le tour du bâton_ = Perquisites, illicit profits.

_Ce sera mon bâton de vieillesse_ = He will be my support
(consolation) in my old age.

Battre

_Il lui a battu froid_ = He gave him the cold shoulder.

[Comp. “Majorum ne quis amicus frigore te feriat.”--HORACE,
_Sat._, ii. 1.]

_Battre la campagne_ = 1. (lit.) To scour the country. 2. (fig.)
To talk nonsense. 3. (of invalids) To wander. 4. To beat about
the bush.

_Battre la breloque (berloque)_ = To talk nonsense.

_Battre le pavé_ = 1. To loaf about. 2. To wander about in search
for work.

_Tout battant neuf_ = All brand new.

_Battre le chien devant le loup_ = To pretend to be angry with
one person to deceive another.

_Avoir les yeux battus_ = To look tired about the eyes.

_La fête battait son plein_ = The entertainment was at its
height.

_Battre quelqu’un à plate couture_ = To beat some one hollow.

[Literally, to beat some one so hard and thoroughly, as to
flatten the seams (_coutures_) of his coat.]

*_Les battus payent l’amende_ = The weakest go to the wall; Those
who lose pay.

_L’un bat les buissons et l’autre prend les oiseaux_ = One does
the work and the other reaps the advantage; One man starts the
game and another kills it.

*_Autant vaut bien battu que mal battu_ = As well be hanged for a
sheep as a lamb; In for a penny, in for a pound. (See _Chien_.)

Baume

_Je n’ai pas foi dans son baume_ = I have no faith in his plan.

Bavette

_Quand les femmes sont ensemble, elles taillent des bavettes
à n’en plus finir_ = When women get together they indulge in
endless gossip.

Beau

_Coucher à la belle étoile_ = To sleep out of doors.

_Déchirer quelqu’un à belles dents_ = To criticise some one
mercilessly; To tear a person’s reputation to shreds.

_Il fera beau quand je retournerai chez lui_ = It will be a very
fine day when I go to his house again (_i.e._ I shall never go).

_Voir tout en beau_ = To see everything through rose-coloured
spectacles. (See _Noir_.)

_Faire le beau_ = (of dogs) To beg.

_Il y a beau temps que je ne vous ai (pas) vu_ = I have not
seen you for many a day.

_J’en entends de belles sur votre compte_ = I hear nice goings-on
of you.

_Il en a fait de belles_ = He played nice tricks (_ironic_).

_Il vous en conte de belles_ = He is telling you fine tales; He
is taking you in finely.

_Vous me la donnez_ (or, _baillez_) _belle_ (ironic.) = A pretty
tale you are telling me; Aren’t you stuffing me up nicely?

_Ce que vous proposez est bel et bon, mais je n’en ferai rien_ =
What you propose is all very fine, but I shall do no such thing.

_Être dans de beaux draps_ = To be in a pretty pickle (_ironic_).

_Vous l’avez échappé belle_ = You have had a narrow escape (_or_,
shave).

_Il a beau parler, il ne me convaincra pas_ = It is of no use for
him to speak, he will not convince me; Let him say what he will,
he will not convince me.

[The origin of this use of _beau_ is obscure. Larousse suggests
the origin may be in the idea of having a _fine_ field for
operations, which will be of no value, as our: “it is all very
_fine_ for me to speak.”]

_Il recommença de plus belle_ = He began again worse than ever.

_Vous avez beau jeu_ = 1. (lit.) You have good cards. 2. (fig.)
You have the advantage.

*_La belle plume fait le bel oiseau_ = Fine feathers make fine
birds.

_Se mettre au beau_ = (of the weather) To clear up.

_Jouer la belle_ = To play the rubber (or third game, to see
which of the players is the conqueror).

Beaucoup

*_Beaucoup de bruit pour rien_ = Much ado about nothing.

Beauté

_La beauté ne se mange pas en salade_ = Beauty does not fill the
larder; Prettiness makes no pottage.

Bec

_Il m’a tenu le bec dans l’eau_ = He kept me in suspense.

_C’est un homme qui ne se laisse pas passer la plume par le bec_
= He is a man not easily taken in.

[Clerks bet a newcomer that he cannot write with a pen in his
mouth. On his endeavouring to do so, they pull the pen sharply
through his lips, thus inking his face. “Qu’on me fasse passer la
plume par le bec.” MOLIÈRE, _Les Femmes Savantes_, iii. 6.]

_C’est un blanc bec_ = He is a beardless boy, greenhorn.

“_Souffrez que je lui montre son bec jaune_” = Allow me to show
him he is a silly goose.

[MOLIÈRE, _Le Malade Imaginaire_, iii. 17. _Bec jaune_ or
_béjaune_ is an allusion to young birds whose beaks are generally
yellow.]

_Il a bec et ongles_ = He knows how to defend himself.

_Avoir bon bec_ (fam.) = To be a chatterbox; To speak well; To be
able to answer back.

[“Il n’est bon bec que de Paris” is the refrain of Villon’s
“Ballade des Femmes de Paris.”]

Bécasse

_C’est une bécasse_ = She is a goose.

Bêcher

_Bêcher quelqu’un_ (fam.) = To pick a person to pieces.

Bénéfice

_Sous_ (or, _par_) _bénéfice d’inventaire_ = 1. (lit. in a legal
sense) Without prejudice. 2. (fig.) Only to a certain point,
conditionally, for what it is worth, with a pinch of salt.

[_e.g._ Il faut croire ce conte sous bénéfice d’inventaire. The
origin of the legal phrase arose from the fact that an inheritor
is liable for the debts of the deceased only in proportion to his
inheritance, which is verified by the inventory. Thus, if the
debts are more than the inheritance, a sole heir would decline to
inherit at all.

Compare:

“Un païen, qui sentait quelque peu le fagot
Et qui croyait en Dieu, pour user de ce mot,
Par bénéfice d’inventaire.”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iv. 19.]

_Il faut prendre le bénéfice avec les charges_ = One must take
the rough with the smooth.

Bercer

_J’ai été bercé de cela_ = I have heard that from my cradle.

Berger

_Bon berger tond mais n’écorche pas_ = We may use but not abuse
our subordinates.

Berlue

_Avoir la berlue_ (fam.) = To see things which do not exist; To
have a wrong idea of anything.

Besogne

_Aimer la besogne faite_ = To hate work; To like to get work over.

_Abattre de la besogne_ = To get through a great deal of work.

Besoin

*_On connaît les amis au besoin_ = A friend in need is a friend
indeed. (See _Ami_.)

*_On a souvent besoin d’un plus petit que soi_ = A mouse may be
of service to a lion.

[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, ii. 11.]

Bête

*_Morte la bête, mort le venin_ = Dead dogs cannot bite; Dead men
tell no tales.

_Cet homme est ma bête noire (mon cauchemar)_ = That man is my
pet aversion; I hate the very sight of that man.

_Pas si bête_ = Not so green, foolish.

_Il est bête à manger du foin_ = He is a perfect idiot.

[Also: _bête comme (un) chou, une oie, un pot, une cruche_.]

*_Qui se fait bête, le loup le mange_ = If one is too confiding,
one is imposed upon. (See _Brebis_.)

_C’est une bonne bête_ (or, _la bête du bon Dieu_) = He is a
good-natured fellow (not over-clever).

_Une bête à bon Dieu_ (or, _bête à Dieu_) = A ladybird.

_Plus fin que lui n’est pas bête_ = It would take a smart man to
deceive him.

Beurre

_On ne peut manier le beurre qu’on ne se graisse les doigts_ =
One cannot touch pitch without soiling one’s fingers; If you have
to do with money, some will stick.

[“But I think they that touch pitch will be defiled.” _Much Ado
about Nothing_, iii. 3.]

_Il faut faire son beurre_ = One must make a profit; One must
feather one’s nest.

_Ça entre comme dans du beurre_ = (fig.) It is as easy as
anything.

Bien

*_Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien_ = Leave well alone.

_Grand bien vous fasse_ = Much good may it do you.

_Le navire a péri corps et biens_ = The ship went down with all
hands on board.

_Il a du bien au soleil_ = He has landed property.

_Ils sont séparés de corps et de biens_ = They have had a
judicial separation (_a mensa et thoro_).

_Tout va bien_ = It is all right.

_C’est bien fait_ = It serves you (him, her) right.

_C’est bien lui_ = That’s he all over.

_On y est très bien_ = The accommodation there is very good.

_Je suis très bien ici_ = I am quite comfortable here.

*_Qui est bien qu’il s’y tienne_ = Rest content where thou art;
Better dry bread at home than roast meat abroad.

_Cet homme est très bien_ = He is a gentleman.

_Mener une entreprise à bien_ = To bring an affair to a
successful issue.

_Il est sur son bien-dire_ = He is on his best behaviour; He
minds his p’s and q’s.

_Nous voilà bien_ (ironic.) = Here is a nice state of things.

_Il ne faut attendre son bien que de soi-même_ = Always rely on
yourself.

_Le bien lui vient en dormant_ = He becomes rich without any
trouble.

_Tant bien que mal_ = So-so; Neither well nor ill; After a
fashion. (See _Tant_.)

Bientôt

_Cela est bientôt dit_ = That is easier said than done.

Bile

_Ne pas se faire de bile_ (fam.) = To take things easily.

Billet

_Un billet de faire part_ = A letter by which a birth, marriage,
or death is made known to friends.

[Cards are used in England for marriages and deaths.]

_Un billet doux_ = A love letter.

*_Ah! le bon billet qu’a La Châtre_ = Promises are like
pie-crust, made to be broken.

[The Marquis de la Châtre was the lover of the celebrated Ninon
de l’Enclos (1616-1706). When he was obliged to go off to the
wars, he made her write him a letter promising to remain faithful
to him. On taking another lover, she remembered the letter
she had written, and uttered these words, which have become
proverbial for any worthless promise.]

Blanc

_J’ai passé une nuit blanche_ = I have not slept a wink all night.

_Dire tantôt blanc, tantôt noir_ = To say first one thing and
then another.

_Se manger le blanc des yeux_ = To have a furious quarrel.

*_Rouge le soir et blanc le matin,
C’est la journée du pèlerin_ =

Red at night is the shepherd’s delight,
Red in the morning, the shepherd’s warning.
Evening red and morning gray
Are two sure signs of a fine day.

Blé

_Manger son blé en herbe_ = To anticipate one’s revenue.

Bleu

_J’en suis tout bleu_ (fam.) = Well! I _am_ surprised.

Bloc

_En bloc_ = In the mass, in the lump.

Boire

_Plus il boit, plus il a soif_ = Ever drunk, ever dry.

*_Qui a bu n’a point de secrets_ = When wine sinks, words swim;
_In vino veritas;_ Drink washes off the daub, and discovers the
man; What the sober man has in his heart, the drunkard has on his
lips.

[“La vérité sort mieux d’un tonneau que d’un puits.” AUGIER,
_L’Aventurière_, ii. 4.]

*_Le vin est tiré, il faut le boire_ = You have gone too far now
to draw back; In for a penny, in for a pound.

[At the siege of Douai in 1667, Louis XIV. found himself
unexpectedly under a heavy cannonade from the besieged city. In
compliance with the entreaties of those around him, who urged
him not to risk so important a life, he was about to retire in
a somewhat unsoldierly and unkingly fashion, when M. de Charost
rode up and whispered this proverb in his ear. The king remained
exposed to the fire of the enemy for a suitable time, and held in
higher honour the counsellor who had saved him from an unseemly
retreat.--TRENCH. “Le vin est tiré, Monsieur, il faut le boire”
is a line in REGNARD’S _Joueur_, iii. 2.]

_Ce n’est pas la mer à boire_ = That is no very difficult matter.

_Il boit du lait_ (fam.) = He is satisfied, happy.

*_Qui a bu boira_ = Habit is second nature; If you take to the
habit of drinking you cannot get rid of it.

[“Et quiconque a joué, toujours joue et jouera.” REGNARD, _Le
Joueur_, iv. 1.]

_Boire comme un trou (une éponge)_ = To drink like a fish.

_Boire un bouillon_ (lit.) = To swallow water (when swimming); To
swallow a bitter pill; To lose a lot of money.

_Boire sec_ = To drink hard; To drink wine neat (without adding
water).

_Boire le calice jusqu’à la lie_ = To drink the cup to the dregs.

_Il boirait la mer et ses poissons_ = Nothing can assuage his
thirst.

_Croyez cela et buvez de l’eau_ (fam.) = Do not believe that, I
know it is not true; Surely you are not simple enough to believe
that!

*_Qui fait la faute la boit_ = As you have brewed, so you must
drink; As you have sown, so you must reap; As you make your bed,
so you must lie on it.

_Boire à tire-larigot_ = To drink excessively.

[The origin of this expression is obscure. Larousse gives the
following explanation, adding that it was probably invented to
explain the saying, as it can be found in no ancient author.
“Odo Rigaud was formerly Archbishop of Rouen, and in celebration
of his appointment he had a huge bell cast for his cathedral in
1282. This bell was called after him _la Rigaud_. After ringing
this bell, the bellringers required much wine to refresh them;
hence _boire à tire larigot_, or _la Rigaud_, meant to drink
like one who has been ringing a heavy bell.” Littré favours the
derivation from _larigot_, or _arigot_, a little flute, and then
the expression would be analogous to _flûter_, a popular word
for _boire_. But probably the correct explanation is that of
Sainte-Palaye, who says that a later meaning of _arigot_ was the
_tap_ of a cask, so that this being pulled out, one could drink
more without any delay.]

Bois

_On verra de quel bois je me chauffe_ = They will see what stuff
I am made of.

_Faire flèche de tout bois_ = To use every means to accomplish an
end; To leave no stone unturned.

_Il ne savait plus de quel bois faire flèche_ = He did not know
which way to turn. (See _Saint_ and _Pied_.)

_Il est du bois dont on fait les flûtes_ = He is of an easy,
pliable disposition (_i.e._ like the flexible reeds of which
flutes were originally made).

_Nous avons trouvé visage de bois_ = We found nobody at home;
“We found the oak sported.”

_Le bois tortu fait le feu droit_ = The end justifies the means.

Boiteux

_Il ne faut pas clocher devant les boiteux_ = One must not remind
people of their infirmities. (See _Corde_.)

Bombarder

_Il vient d’être bombardé membre de ce club_ = He has just been
pitchforked into that club (over the heads of more deserving
people).

Bon

_Il la fait courte et bonne_ = He is having a short life and a
merry one.

*_A quelque chose malheur est bon_ = It is an ill wind that blows
nobody any good.

_Dites-moi une bonne fois pourquoi vous êtes mécontent_ = Tell me
once and for all why you are dissatisfied.

_A quoi bon lui dire cela?_ = What is the good of telling him
that?

_A la bonne heure!_ = 1. Well done! 2. That is something like! 3.
At last! 4. Capital!

_Il n’est pas bon à jeter aux chiens_ = He is good for nothing.

_Il a bon pied, bon œil_ = He is sound, wind and limb; He is hale
and hearty.

_Faire bonne mine à mauvais jeu_ = To put a good face on
misfortune; To make the best of a bad job.

[Also: _Faire contre fortune bon cœur._]

*_A bon jour, bonne œuvre_ = The better the day, the better the
deed.

_Tout lui est bon_ = All is fish that comes to his net.

_Si bon vous semble_ = If you think fit.

*_Les bons comptes font les bons amis_ = Short reckonings make
long friends.

*_A bon vin point d’enseigne_ = Good wine needs no bush. (See
_Vin_.)

_Une bonne fuite vaut mieux qu’une mauvaise attente_ = Discretion
is the better part of valour.

_En voilà une bonne!_ (i.e. _plaisanterie_); _Elle est bonne,
celle-là!_ = Oh! what a good joke! “What a cram!” That’s rather a
tall story.

_Est-ce qu’il est parti pour tout de bon?_ = Has he gone for good?

Bond

_Faire faux bond_ = 1. To deceive. 2. To fail to keep an
appointment.

_Il ne va que par sauts et par bonds_ = He only works by fits and
starts.

_Tant de bond que de volée_ = By hook or by crook.

Bonheur

_Au petit bonheur!_ = I will chance it!

_Par bonheur_ = As luck would have it.

Bonhomme

_Petit bonhomme vit encore_ = There’s life in the old dog yet.

[An expression derived from a game which consisted in lighting a
large roll of paper and passing it round a circle of people, each
one repeating these words. The roll would often appear to be out,
when a vigorous swirl would fan it again into a flame.]

Boniment

_Faiseur de boniment_ (pop.) = A cheap-jack, clap-trap speaker.

[_Bonir_ = to talk like clowns at a fair.]

Bonjour

_C’est simple comme bonjour_ = It is as easy as kiss your hand.

Bonnet

*_C’est bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet_ = It is six of one and
half-a-dozen of the other.

_C’est un des gros bonnets_ (or, _légumes_) _de l’endroit_ = He
is one of the bigwigs of the place.

_Il a la tête près du bonnet_ = He is quick-tempered, easily
ruffled.

_Il a mis son bonnet de travers_ = He is in a bad temper; He got
out of bed the wrong side.

[Also: _Il s’est levé du mauvais côté_ (or, _pied_).]

_Jeter son bonnet par dessus les moulins_ (of women) = To throw
off all restraint; Not to care a straw for what people may think
of your bad conduct.

_Ce sont deux têtes dans un bonnet_ = They are hand and glove
together.

_Être triste_ (_gai_, ironic.) _comme un bonnet de nuit_ = To be
as dull as ditchwater; To be in the dumps.

[Also: _Gai comme une porte de prison._]

_Il a pris cela sous son bonnet_ = 1. He invented it. 2. He took
it upon himself.

_Ses collègues opinent du bonnet_ = His colleagues agree with
what he says (without speaking). (See _Opiner_.)

Borgne

*“_Dans le royaume des aveugles les borgnes sont rois_” = Among
the blind, the one-eyed is king.

[The quotation comes from J. J. ROUSSEAU’S _Confessions_, Part
i., Bk. v.]

Borne

_Il est planté là comme une borne_ = He stands there like a post.

Borner

_Il faut savoir se borner_ = One must place limits on one’s
desires.

[“_Qui ne sait se borner ne sut jamais écrire._”
BOILEAU, _Art Poétique_, i.]

Bossu

_Rire comme un bossu_ = To split one’s sides with laughter.

Botte

_Il a mis du foin dans ses bottes_ = He has feathered his nest;
He has taken care of number one.

_Il est haut comme ma botte_ = He is a mere sixpennyworth of
halfpence; He is very short.

_A propos de bottes_ = With reference to nothing in particular.

Bouc

_C’est le bouc émissaire_ = He is the scapegoat.

Bouche

_Faire la bouche en cœur_ = To try and look amiable; To put on a
captivating look; To purse up one’s lips.

_Cet argument me ferma la bouche_ = That argument was a poser for
me; I could not reply to that.

_Il y en avait à bouche que veux-tu_ = There was a plentiful
supply of it.

_Je garde cela pour la bonne bouche_ = I am keeping that for the
last.

[_Une bonne bouche_ = A tit-bit.]

_Il prend sur sa bouche pour aider ces gens_ = He stints himself
to help those people.

_Faire la petite bouche_ = To be dainty; To have a small
appetite; To be hard to please.

_Bouche close (cousue)!_ = Not a word, mind! “Mum’s the word.”

_La bouche fendue jusqu’aux oreilles_ = A mouth stretching from
ear to ear.

_Être sur sa bouche_ = To be an epicure.

Bouchée

_Mettre les bouchées doubles_ = To eat quickly; To hurry.

Boule

_Perdre la boule_ (pop.) = To lose one’s head; Not to know what
one is doing. (See _Tramontane_.)

Bourgeois

_Les officiers étaient en bourgeois_ (or, _en civil_) = The
officers were in plain clothes, in mufti.

_Elle fait une bonne cuisine bourgeoise_ = She is a good plain
cook.

_Je prends mes repas dans une pension bourgeoise_ = I board at a
private boarding-house.

Bourse

*_Selon ta bourse gouverne ta bouche_ = Cut your coat according
to your cloth.

[“Fond pride of dress is sure a very curse;
Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.]

_Faire bon marché de sa bourse_ = To say a thing has cost less
than it has.

_Obtenir une bourse au lycée_ = To gain an exhibition (_or_,
scholarship) at a public school.

_Avoir toujours la bourse à la main_ = To have always one’s hand
in one’s pocket.

_Loger le diable dans sa bourse_ = To be penniless.

[Coins generally had a cross on them, which was a protection
against the devil. (See _Diable_.) Compare GOLDSMITH, _Vicar of
Wakefield_, xxi.--“We have not seen the cross of her money.”]

_Ami jusqu’à la bourse_ = A lukewarm friend.

_Sans bourse délier_ = Without any expense.

Bout

_Il tira à bout portant_ = He fired point-blank.

*_Au bout de l’aune faut_ (or, _manque_) _le drap_ = There is an
end to everything; The last straw breaks the camel’s back.

_Il est économe de bouts de chandelle_ = He is penny wise and
pound foolish.

[Or, _Il fait des économies de bouts de chandelle._]

_Il a ri du bout des lèvres_ = He laughed in a forced manner.

_Il est poète jusqu’au bout des ongles_ = He is a poet to his
finger-tips.

_Je suis à bout de force_ = I am exhausted, done up.

_C’est le bout du monde_ = That is the utmost.

_Être au bout de son rouleau, de son latin, de sa gamme_ = To be
at one’s wits’ end; Not to know what to do.

_Il répète la même chose à tout bout de champ_ = He repeats the
same thing every instant, every time he has the chance.

_Eh bien! au bout du compte vous avez tort_ = Well! you are
wrong, after all.

_Ma patience est à bout_ = My patience is exhausted.

_Il m’a poussé à bout_ = He provoked me beyond endurance.

_Laisser voir le bout de l’oreille_ = To show one’s ignorance
(_or_, true character); To show what one is driving at; To show
the cloven hoof.

[A reference to the fable of the ass in the lion’s skin.]

_Tenir le haut bout_ = To have the whip hand.

Boute-en-train

_C’est un vrai boute-en-train_ = He is the very life and soul of
the party.

Bouteille

_Il n’a rien vu que par le trou d’une bouteille_ = He has seen
nothing of the world.

_C’est la bouteille à l’encre que cette affaire_ = This is a very
obscure matter; That affair is as clear as mud.

Boutique

_Toute la boutique_ (pop.) = The whole show (_i.e._ a thing and
everything connected with it); The whole boiling; The whole bag
of tricks.

[Also: _tout le tremblement_, and, _le diable et son train_.]

Braise

*_Tomber de la poêle dans la braise_ = To fall out of the
frying-pan into the fire.

_Passer sur une chose comme un chat sur la braise_ = To pass
lightly over a subject.

Branche

_Être comme l’oiseau sur la branche_ = To be very unsettled.

[This generally refers to a man’s position in life, whether he
will stay where he is or be made to leave.]

Branler

*_Tout ce qui branle ne tombe pas_ = A creaking gate hangs long.

Bras

_Bras dessus bras dessous_ = Arm in arm.

_J’ai les bras rompus_ = My arms are tired.

_Cette perte nous coupe bras et jambes_ = This loss cripples us
entirely.

_Les bras me tombent de surprise_ (or, _m’en tombent_) = I am
struck dumb with surprise.

_Il a le bras long_ = He has great influence.

_Si vous lui en donnez long comme le doigt, il en prendra long
comme le bras_ = Give him an inch, he will take an ell.

[“_Laissez leur prendre un pied chez vous
Ils en auront bientôt pris quatre._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, ii. 7.

German: Wer sich auf den Achseln sitzen lässt, dem sitzt man
nachher auf dem Kopfe = Who lets one sit on his shoulders shall
have him presently sit on his head.

Italian: Si ti lasci metter in spalla il vitello, quindi a poco
ti metter an la vacca = If thou suffer a calf to be laid on thee,
within a little they’ll clap on the cow.]

_Je l’ai saisi à bras le corps_ = I seized him round the waist
(in a struggle).

_Je l’ai battu à tour de bras_ (or, _à bras raccourci_) = I beat
him with all my might.

_Pourquoi restez-vous là les bras croisés?_ = Why are you waiting
there doing nothing?

_J’ai ses enfants sur les bras_ = I have his children on my hands.

Brebis

*_A brebis tondue Dieu mesure le vent_ = God tempers the wind to
the shorn lamb.

[Also: _Dieu donne le froid selon le drap._ This is said to
occur first in a collection of proverbs made by Henri Estienne
(Stephanus), 1594. The earliest mention in English is, I believe,
in Sterne’s _Sentimental Journey_.]

*_Qui se fait brebis, le loup le mange_ = He who is too confiding
is imposed upon; Daub yourself with honey and you’ll be covered
with flies.

*_Brebis comptées le loup les mange_ = Counting one’s chickens
will not keep the fox off; If you count your chickens, harm will
happen to them.

[Compare VERGIL, _Ecl._, vii. 52. This somewhat difficult
expression can also be translated: “A bold thief is not
frightened at things being counted.” It no doubt refers to the
old superstition that counting one’s possessions was followed by
misfortune, as in 2 Samuel xxiv.]

*_Brebis qui bêle perd sa goulée_ = It is the silent sow that
sucks the wash.

_La brebis galeuse_ = The black sheep.

_Il ne faut qu’une brebis galeuse pour infecter tout le troupeau_
= One scabby sheep will taint the whole flock; One ill weed mars
a whole pot of pottage.

[Also: _Pomme pourrie gâte sa compagnie_ = One rotten apple
spoils the whole basket.]

Bredouille

_Revenir bredouille_ = (of sportsmen) To return with an empty
bag; To have made an unsuccessful attempt; To return disappointed.

_Se coucher bredouille_ = To go to bed supperless.

Bride

*_À cheval donné on ne regarde pas à la bride_ = One does not
look a gift-horse in the mouth.

_Il courait à toute bride_ (or, _à bride abattue_) = He was
running at full speed.

_Je lui ai mis la bride sur le cou_ = I gave him full liberty.

_Vous lui tenez la bride trop haute_ = You keep him too much
under restraint.

Briller

*_Tout ce qui brille_ (or, _reluit_) _n’est pas or_ = All is not
gold that glitters.

Brin

_Nous n’avons pas un brin de feu_ = We have not got a bit of fire.

_C’est un beau brin de fille_ = She is a fine slip of a girl.

Brisée

_Il court sur mes brisées_ = (lit.) He pursues the same game as I
do; (fig.) He poaches on my preserves.

[_Brisées_ = small branches broken from trees and dropped on the
ground to mark the lair or path of a beast.]

Briser

_Brisons là!_ = Let us have no more of that; That will do.

Brochette

_Être à la brochette_ = 1. To be brought up by hand (of a bird).
2. To be brought up tenderly, with too much care.

Broder

_Je crois que vous brodez_ = (fig.) I think you are exaggerating,
romancing.

_Il brode bien_ = He is good at drawing the long bow.

Brouillard

_Établir une rente sur les brouillards de la Seine_ = To have an
income in the clouds (_i.e._ nothing).

Brouiller

_Est-ce que vous vous êtes brouillés?_ = Are you no longer
friends?

_Il a eu le malheur de se brouiller avec la justice_ = He was
unfortunate enough to fall out with justice (_i.e._ to be
punished by imprisonment, fine, etc.).

Brouter

*_Où la chèvre est attachée il faut qu’elle broute_ = One must
bow to circumstances; One must put up with the inconveniences of
one’s position if one can get nothing better; One must not expect
more from life than life can give; We must take things as we find
them.

[“Là où la chèvre est liée il faut bien qu’elle y
broute.”--MOLIÈRE, _Le Médecin malgré lui_, iii. 3.]

_L’herbe sera bien courte s’il ne trouve à brouter_ = He would
live on nothing; It will go hard if he does not pick up a living.

Bruit

_Faire plus de bruit que de besogne_ = To be more fussy than
industrious.

*_Grand bruit, petite besogne_ = The more hurry, the less speed;
Great cry, little wool.

*_Qui a bruit de se lever matin peut dormir jusqu’au soir_ = A
good reputation covers many sins.

_Les tonneaux vides sont ceux qui font le plus de bruit_ = The
worst wheel makes the most noise.

Brûler

_Il s’est brûlé la cervelle_ = He blew his brains out.

_Ils tirèrent sur lui à brûle-pourpoint_ = They fired at him
point-blank (so as to burn his doublet).

_Il m’a posé cette question à brûle-pourpoint_ = He asked me that
question quite unexpectedly.

_Brûler une station (une étape)_ = To run through a station
(_or_, a halting-place) without stopping.

_Brûler le pavé_ = To dash along at full speed, to “scorch.”

_Brûler à petit feu_ = To wait impatiently, to be on thorns.

_Cherchez bien, vous brûlez_ = Search well, you are getting warm.

[Said to children who are looking for a hidden object, and are
getting near it.]

_Nous avons brûlé nos vaisseaux_ = There is no going back now; We
mean to fight to the last.

[Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse, on landing in Africa 317 B.C.,
burnt his vessels in order to force his soldiers to conquer or to
die. William of Normandy (1066) and Cortez (1518) did the same.]

_Un acteur qui brûle les planches_ = An actor who plays with
spirit, “go.”

_Brûler la politesse_ = To behave rudely by leaving a person
abruptly.

Buisson

*_Il n’y a si petit buisson qui ne porte ombre_ = There is no
man, however humble, who cannot aid (_or_, injure) his superior.

_Trouver buisson creux_ = To find the birds flown.

Buse

*_On ne saurait faire d’une buse un épervier_ = One cannot make a
silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

[“Que l’en ne puet fere espervier
En nule guise d’ung busart.”
GUILLAUME DE LORRIS, _Roman de la Rose_, 3839.

Also: _D’un goujat on ne peut pas faire un gentilhomme_ = It
takes three generations to make a gentleman; and _D’un sac à
charbon il ne saurait sortir blanche farine_.]

But

_De but en blanc_ = Point-blank; Abruptly.