Chapter D: Dame (1)

_Une grande dame de par le monde_ = A great lady in the eyes of
the world.

[This should be written _Une grande dame de la part du monde_.
Littré points out that the error in spelling _par_ for _part_
is a very old one; it would appear to date from the thirteenth
century from the examples he quotes. _De par le monde_ must be
derived from _de parte mundi_, as _de per_ was never used.]

Damer

_Damer le pion à quelqu’un_ = To outwit some one.

[From the game of draughts, _dame_ = a king, _pion_ = a man.]

Damner

_Cet homme est son âme damnée_ = That man does his dirty work for
him, is his tool.

[The man who does the dirty work knows he is damning his soul by
doing it, but does it all the same for the money or interest it
brings him.]

Danger

_Il n’y a pas de danger_ = No fear of that; Don’t you fret!

Danser

_Il ne sait sur quel pied danser_ = He does not know which way to
turn.

_Il en dansera en l’air_ = He will swing for it.

_Danser devant le buffet_ = To have nothing to eat.

Dater

_Cet événement date de loin_ = That event happened long ago.

Dé

_A vous le dé_ = It is your turn to play (at dice). [See _Avoir_.]

_Ne nous flattez pas le dé_ = Speak out without any reserve.

[_Flatter le dé_ is to let the dice slide gently out of the box.]

“_Car madame à jaser tient le dé tout le jour_” = Madame
engrosses the conversation all day long.
[MOLIÈRE, _Tartufe_, i. 1.]

Débandade

_Ils laissèrent tout à la débandade_ = They left all at sixes and
sevens, in confusion.

_Fuir à la débandade_ = To fly helter-skelter.

Débit

_Le ministre lui a accordé un débit de tabac_ = The minister has
given him a license to sell tobacco.

[The sale of tobacco, snuff, gunpowder, and cards is a Government
monopoly in France.]

Debout

*_Mieux vaut goujat debout qu’empereur enterré_ = “A living dog
is better than a dead lion.”--Ecclesiastes ix. 4.

[LA FONTAINE, _La Matrone d’Éphèse_. _Goujat_ first meant
a soldier’s servant (as here), now it means a hodman, or
bricklayer’s apprentice, hence a vulgar, coarse fellow, a
bungler.]

_Cela ne tient pas debout_ = That won’t hold water.

Débrider

_Il a écrit vingt pages sans débrider_ = He has written twenty
pages at a stretch.

Déchausser

_Il ne faut pas se déchausser pour manger cela_ = It is not worth
while sitting down to eat that.

[The ancients were in the habit of reclining bare-foot at their
meals.]

Décoiffer

*_Décoiffer (Découvrir) St. Pierre pour coiffer St. Paul_ =
To rob Peter to pay Paul.

Découvrir

_On a découvert le pot aux roses_ = They have discovered the
mystery, the secret.

_Être à découvert_ = To be unprotected, undisguised.

Décrocher

_Un décrochez-moi-ça_ (pop.) = A reach-me-down (second-hand
garment).

Dedans

_Elle est tout en dedans_ = She is not communicative.

_On l’a mis dedans_ (fam.) = 1. They took him in (_i.e._ they
deceived him). 2. They ran him in (_i.e._ they put him in prison).

[The second meaning is more often translated: “On l’a coffré.”]

_Comme un nigaud, j’ai donné dedans_ = Like a goose, I fell into
the trap.

_Je ne sais si je suis dedans ou dehors_ = I do not know which
side to take; I do not know whether I have made a profit or not.

Défaire

_Il a le visage défait_ = He has a pale, worn-out look.

Défaite

_Cette marchandise est d’une bonne défaite_ = These goods have a
quick sale.

Défaut

_Attaquez-le au défaut de la cuirasse_ = Attack him on his weak
point.

Défense

_Défense d’afficher_ = Stick no bills.

_Défense d’entrer_ = No admittance.

_Défense d’entrer sous peine d’amende_ = Trespassers will be
prosecuted.

Dégainer

_Être brave jusqu’au dégainer_ = To be brave until it come to
blows.

[_Dégainer_ = to unsheathe a sword.]

Dégourdir

_Ils auront à se dégourdir ou à déguerpir_ = They will either
have to wake up or to clear out.

_Se dégourdir les jambes_ = To stretch one’s legs; To go out for
a run.

Dégoûter

_Faire le dégoûté_ = To be fastidious, dainty.

_Si j’avais la fortune de Rothschild, je serais content._--_Vous
n’êtes pas dégoûté!_ = If I had Rothschild’s fortune I should be
satisfied.--I should rather think so!

Dehors

_Sauver le dehors_ = To save appearances.

_Il n’a pas de dehors_ = His personal appearance is not
prepossessing; He looks nobody.

Délit

_En flagrant délit_ = In the very act; red-handed.

[Lat. _In flagrante delicto._]

Déloger

_Déloger sans tambour ni trompette_ = To leave without beat of
drum.

Demain

_Avec lui c’est toujours demain_ = He always procrastinates.

Demandeur

*_A beau demandeur beau refuseur_ = Diamond cut diamond.

[_i.e._ “If you are not ashamed to ask, I am not ashamed to
refuse.”]

Démanger

_La langue lui démange_ = He longs to speak; He is dying to put
in a word.

Denier

_Cet homme n’a pas un denier vaillant_ = That man is not worth a
brass farthing.

_Rendre compte à livres, sous et deniers_ = To give an account to
the uttermost farthing.

Dent

_J’ai les dents bien longues aujourd’hui_ = I am very hungry
to-day.

_Je suis sur les dents_ = I am done up.

_J’ai une dent contre lui_ = I have a grudge against him.

[Also: _Je lui garde un chien de ma chienne_ (pop.).]

_Autant prendre la lune avec les dents_ = You might just as well
try and scale the moon.

_Manger du bout des dents_ = To eat without an appetite; To eat
daintily.

[“Dente superbo.”--HORACE, _Satires_, ii. 6, 87. Compare: _rire
du bout des dents_.]

_Déchirer quelqu’un à belles dents_ = To tear a person’s
reputation to shreds.

[Also more forcibly: _Passer quelqu’un à tabac._]

Dépense

*_Les folles dépenses refroidissent la cuisine_ = Wilful waste
makes woeful want.

Déplaire

_Qu’il ne vous en déplaise_ = With your permission; By your
leave; If you’ll allow me; An it please you.

[Sometimes shortened to: _Ne vous déplaise_, as in LA FONTAINE,
_Fables_, i. 1. The sense is often ironical, and means, “whether
you like it or not.”]

Dépourvu

_Au dépourvu_ = Unprepared.

Dératé

_Courir comme un dératé_ = To go like a shot; To run like mad.

[_Rate_=spleen. The Greeks believed that men and animals ran
faster if their spleen was removed. “On sait que l’extirpation de
la rate se pratiquait chez les coureurs d’antiquité pour éviter
l’essoufflement.”--COUVREUR, _Les Merveilles du Corps humain_.
Comp. PLINY, xxvi. 13.]

Dernier

_Une représentation du dernier vulgaire_ = A display vulgar to
the last degree; A very low show.

[“Ce que vous dites là est du dernier bourgeois.”
MOLIÈRE, _Les Précieuses Ridicules_, sc. 5.]

Désirer

*_Plus on désire une chose, plus elle se fait attendre_ = A
watched pot never boils.

_Cela laisse à désirer_ = There is room for improvement.

Désorienter

_Je suis désorienté_ = 1. I am disconcerted. 2. I am out of my
element; I do not feel at home; I have lost my bearings.

Desserrer

_Je n’ai pas desserré les dents_ = I never opened my lips.

Dessus

_Par dessus le marché_ = Into the bargain; Over and above.

_Il n’y a rien au dessus de cela_ = That beats everything.

_Sens dessus dessous_ = All upside down; Topsy-turvy.

_Ils ont eu le dessus_ = They got the best of it.

[_Avoir le dessous_ = to get the worst of it.]

_Prendre le dessus_ = To gain the upper hand.

_J’en ai par dessus la tête_ = I am worried out of my life with
it.

_Il le fera par dessus l’épaule_ = He will never do it.

[Comp. “over the left,” in schoolboy slang.]

_Il m’a regardé par dessus l’épaule_ = He looked at me
contemptuously.

Destinée

_On n’échappe pas à sa destinée_ = He that is born to be hanged
will never be drowned.

Détente

_Il est dur à la détente_ = (fig.) He is close-fisted, a miser.

Déterrer

_Il a l’air d’un déterré_ = He looks as pale as death, as pale as
a ghost.

Détour

_Faire un détour_ = To go a roundabout way.

_Il est sans détour_ = He is straightforward.

Dette

_Il est criblé de dettes_ = He is head over ears in debt.

[For _criblé_ one finds _accablé_, _perdu_, or _abîmé_.]

_Des dettes criardes_ = Small debts to trades-people or workmen
(who are continually asking for their money).

Deuil

_J’en ai fait mon deuil_ = I have resigned myself to the loss of
it.

Deux

_Maintenant, à nous deux!_ = Now I will settle with you; Now is
the time for a private explanation; Now to business.

*_Deux s’amusent, trois s’embêtent_ (fam.) = Two’s company,
three’s none.

_Tous les deux jours_; _De deux jours l’un_ = Every other day.

_Piquer des deux_ = To spur on one’s horse; To rush forward.

Devant

*_Les premiers vont devant_ = First come, first served.

_Il faut prendre les devants_ = One must be first in the field.

_Allons au-devant de lui_ = Let us go and meet him.

Dévider

_Mathurin dévide le jars_ (pop.) = Jack Tar is spinning a yarn.

Devoir

_Il doit au tiers et au quart (à Jean et à Paul)_ = He owes
money to everybody.

_Il doit plus d’argent qu’il n’est gros_ = He owes more money
than he can pay.

*_Qui a terme ne doit rien_ = No one need pay before a debt is
due.

*_Qui ne doit rien n’a rien à craindre_ = Out of debt, out of
danger.

*_A chacun son dû_ = Give the devil his due; Every man is worth
his hire.

*_Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra_ = Do your duty, come
what may.

_Dussé-je en mourir_ = Were I to die for it.

_Chose convenue, chose due_ = A promise must be kept.

Dévolu

_J’ai jeté mon dévolu sur cela_ = I have fixed my choice upon
that.

Dévotion

_Il n’est de dévotion que de jeune prêtre_ = Enthusiasm wears out
in time; New brooms sweep clean. (See _Balai_.)

Diable

_C’est le diable qui bat sa femme et qui marie sa fille_ = It is
raining and the sun is shining at the same time.

_Tirer le diable par la queue_ = To be always hard up for a
living.

_Faire le diable à quatre_ = To make a terrible noise; To play
all sorts of tricks. (See _Quatre_.)

_Le diable chante la grand’messe_ = He hides his vices under the
cloak of religion.

_C’est le diable à confesser_ = It is terribly hard to do.

_Il a le diable au corps_ = He is never still, quite
unmanageable, very energetic.

_C’est un air de porter le diable en terre_ = It is an air to
conjure up the devil.

*_Il n’est pas si diable qu’il est noir_ = The devil is not as
black as he is painted.

[Or: _Le diable n’est pas si noir qu’il en a l’air._]

_Se démener comme un diable dans un bénitier_ = To rush about
half-mad.

_Loger le diable dans sa bourse_ = To be penniless. (See
_Bourse_.)

[“Et logeant le diable en sa bourse,
C’est à dire, n’y logeant rien.”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, ix. 16.]

_Quand le diable fut vieux il se fit ermite_ = The devil was
sick, the devil a monk would be, The devil was well, the devil a
monk was he!

[Compare the Italian:

Passata il punto, gabbato il santo = The peril past, the saint
mocked.

Also: The river past and God forgotten.]

_Aller au diable Vauvert_ (corrupted into _au vert_) = To go very
far away, a devil of a way; To disappear.

[The Carthusians having been given a large building at Gentilly
by St. Louis, coveted the abandoned mansion of Vauvert (= _vallon
vert_), which they could see from their windows. But to ask for
it without a valid reason was to court refusal. So they caused
it to be haunted by evil spirits, and the king was soon glad to
get rid of this uncanny possession. It is needless to add that
the spirits were exorcised directly the monks took possession. It
stood in the _rue de Vauvert_, beyond the Luxembourg, which was
until lately called the _rue d’Enfer_. As this was then a remote
suburb of Paris, the expression was equivalent to going to the
end of the town, and thus, very far off.]

_C’est là le diable_ (or, _le hic_) = There is the rub.

_Elle a la beauté du diable_ = All her beauty consists in her
youth and freshness.

_Fait à la diable_ (i.e. _à la manière du diable_) = Done anyhow,
in a slipshod way.

Dieu

_À Dieu ne plaise!_ = God forbid!

_Jurer ses grands dieux_ = To affirm vehemently; To swear by all
that one holds sacred.

Différer

*_Ce qui est différé n’est pas perdu_ = All is not lost that is
delayed.

[German: Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben.]

Diligence

_Voyager par la diligence d’Adam_ = To travel on shanks’ nag.

[German: Auf Schusters Rappen.]

Dindon

_C’est un franc dindon_ = He is a thorough goose.

_Être le dindon de la farce_ = To be the dupe.

Dire

_Pour tout dire_ = In a word.

_C’est tout dire_ = That is saying all, enough.

[_e.g._ “Cet homme est-il honnête?”--“Je lui ai prêté 500 fr. il
y a deux ans et il n’a jamais voulu me rendre un sou. C’est tout
dire.”]

_Pour ainsi dire_ = So to speak.

_Je ne vous dis que ça_ = I cannot tell you any more, but it is a
fact.

[This can also be translated: “I can tell you!” as in “Je me suis
bien amusé, je ne vous dis que ça!”]

_Pour mieux dire_ = Or rather.

_Je me le suis tenu pour dit_ = I took it for granted.

_Soit dit entre nous_ = Quite between ourselves.

_Cela est bon à dire, mais..._ = That is all very well for a
speech, but...; That is all very fine, but...

_Il est sensible au qu’en dira-t-on_ = He is sensitive to public
opinion; He is easily influenced by what people say about him, by
what Mrs. Grundy will say.

_Il était dit que j’arriverais trop tard_ = The Fates had willed
that I should come too late.

_Quand je vous le disais!_ (or, _Je vous l’avais bien dit!_) = I
told you so!

_Ah! vous m’en direz tant!_ = 1. Well, that alters the case! 2.
Ah! now I understand, why did you not say so at first? 3. There’s
no going against such a reason as that.

[This expression has almost as many meanings as _n’est-ce pas_.
The above are a few of them. It is often used ironically.]

_A qui le dites-vous?_ = Am I not perfectly aware of it? Don’t I
know it?

_Au dire de tout le monde_ = According to what everybody says;
According to the general opinion.

_Je l’irai dire à Rome_ = It is so unlikely, that if it happens I
will undertake a pilgrimage to Rome; I’ll eat my hat.

[Comp. RACINE, _Épigramme III. Sur Andromaque_.]

_Cela ne me dit rien_ = That has no effect upon me; I have no
desire for it.

Discrétion

_On nous donna du vin à discrétion_ = They gave us as much wine
as we wanted (wine _ad libitum_).

Distance

_La distance grandit tout prestige_ =

“’Tis distance lends enchantment to the view,
And robes the mountain in its azure hue.”
[CAMPBELL, _Pleasures of Hope_, i. 7.]

Doigt

_Je lui ai donné sur les doigts_ = I rapped his knuckles (lit.
and fig.).

_Il y met les quatre doigts et le pouce_ = (lit.) He eats
greedily; (fig.) He acts clumsily.

_Ils sont comme les deux doigts de la main_ = They are hand and
glove together, inseparable.

_Vous avez mis le doigt dessus_ = You have hit the right nail on
the head; You have touched the spot.

_Mon petit doigt me l’a dit_ = A little bird told me so.

_Il était à deux doigts de la mort_ = He was at death’s door,
within an ace of death.

_Se fourrer le doigt dans l’œil jusqu’au coude_ (pop.) = To
deceive oneself most blindly; To put one’s foot in it.

_Savoir sur le bout du doigt_ = To know perfectly; To have at
one’s finger-ends.

_Il lui obéit au doigt et à l’œil_ = He is at his beck and call.

_Un doigt de vin_ (fam.) = A toothful of wine.

Dommage

_C’est dommage!_ = What a pity.

Donner

_Ils lui en ont donné tout du long de l’aune_ = They beat him
black and blue.

_Je vous le donne en dix_ = I bet you ten to one you will not
guess it.

*_Qui donne tôt donne deux fois_ = He gives twice who gives in a
trice.

[“Bis dat qui celeriter dat.”--PUBLIUS SYRUS. _Cito_, which
is now used instead of _celeriter_, appears to be a later
alteration.]

_Le régiment a donné_ = The regiment has engaged.

_On ne lui donnerait pas quarante ans_ = You would not take him
for forty.

_On t’en donnera des tabliers propres pour les salir_ = You ask
too much.

_J’ai passé quinze jours à Paris et je m’en suis donné_ = I spent
a fortnight in Paris, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

[This idiom implies movement, excitement, &c.]

Dormir

_Dormir sur les deux oreilles_ = (lit.) To sleep soundly; (fig.)
To have no cause for anxiety.

_Dormir comme une marmotte, comme un sabot, comme une souche,
les_ (or, _à_) _poings fermés_ = To sleep like a top, like a log.

_Dormir la grasse matinée_ = To lie late in bed.

_Il nous a dit des contes à dormir debout_ = He told us tedious,
nonsensical tales, old wives’ tales.

[“Γραῶν ὕθλος.”--PLATO, _Rep._ 350 E.
“Aniles fabellae.”--CICERO.]

*_Qui dort dîne_ = Sleeping is as good as eating.

*_Qui a renommée de se lever matin peut dormir jusqu’à midi_ = A
good reputation covers a multitude of sins.

_Dormir en gendarme_ = To sleep with one eye open.

Dos

*_Il ne se laisse pas manger la laine sur le dos_ = He is not the
man to let himself be made a fool of; He will not allow people to
take the food out of his mouth; He will not tamely submit to any
imposition.

_Le juge les a renvoyés dos à dos_ = The judge nonsuited them
both.

_Il fait le gros dos_ = He gives himself airs.

_En dos d’âne_ = Sloping on both sides, sharp-ridged.

_Je me suis mis le juge à dos_ = I have made an enemy of the
judge.

_J’en ai plein le dos_ (pop.) = I am sick and tired of it.

_Il a bon dos_ = His back is broad enough to stand a good deal.

Double

_C’est un double coquin_ = He is a thorough rascal.

_C’est un homme double_ = He is a double-faced man.

Douceur

*_Plus fait douceur que violence_ = Kindness does more than
harshness; More flies are caught with honey than with vinegar.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vi. 3.]

_Il faudra le prendre en douceur_ = You must tackle him gently.

Doute

_Cela ne fait aucun doute_ = There is no doubt about it.

_Dans le doute abstiens-toi_ = When in doubt, do nothing.

Douter

_Je ne me doutais de rien_ = I did not suspect anything.

_Je m’en doutais_ = I thought so.

Douzaine

_C’est un poète comme on en trouve à la douzaine_ = He is a very
minor poet.
[RÉGNIER, _Sat._ iv.]

Dragée

_Tenir la dragée haute à quelqu’un_ = To make a person pay well
(_or_, wait a long time) for what he desires.

Dragon

_Cette femme est un vrai dragon_ = 1. That woman is a virago. 2.
That woman is very masculine (in appearance and manners).

Drap

_Je suis dans de beaux draps_ = I am in a fine mess, in a pretty
pickle.

_Il voudrait avoir le drap et l’argent_ = He would like to have
his cake and eat it too.

Drapeau

_Elle a déjà un fils sous les drapeaux_ = She already has a son
in the army.

Droit

_Remettez ceci à qui de droit_ = Give this to the proper person,
to the person who has a right to it.

_Il fera droit à votre demande_ = He will accede to your request.

_Il fait son droit_ = He is studying for the bar.

Drôle

_C’est un drôle de corps_ = He is a queer fish.

_C’est un mauvais drôle_ = He is a downright scamp.

Dru

_Frapper fort et dru_ = To strike with might and main.

E.

Eau

*_Il n’est pire eau que l’eau qui dort_ = Still waters run deep.

*_C’est porter de l’eau à la mer_ (or, _rivière_) = It is
carrying coals to Newcastle.

[The Greek equivalent was Γλαῦκας εἰς Αθήνας = Owls to Athens;
the Hebrew “Enchantments to Egypt,” and the Late Latin
“Indulgences to Rome.”]

_Cet homme aime à pêcher en eau trouble_ = That man likes fishing
in troubled waters.

*_Ils se ressemblent comme deux gouttes d’eau_ = They are as like
as two peas.

_Tout va à vau l’eau_ = All is going to wreck and ruin.

[_A vau l’eau_ = With the current.]

_Pendant l’inondation le toit de cette maison était à fleur
d’eau_ = During the flood the top of that house was on a level
with the water.

_C’est un donneur d’eau bénite de cour_ = He makes empty promises.

_Les eaux sont basses chez lui_ = He is hard up; He is in low
water.

_C’est donner un coup d’épée dans l’eau_ = It is useless trouble,
an unsuccessful attempt.

[“Ἐν ὕδατι γράφειν.”--PLATO, _Phaedrus_, 276 C.]

_Faire venir l’eau au moulin_ = To bring grist to the mill.

_Faire venir l’eau à la bouche_ = To make one’s mouth water.

*_L’eau va toujours au moulin_ = Property always goes to those
who have some already; Money makes money; Nothing succeeds like
success.

_D’ici là il passera bien de l’eau sous le pont_ = It will be a
long time before that happens.

_Mettre de l’eau dans son vin_ = (fig.) To come down a peg.

*_L’eau qui tombe goutte à goutte cave la pierre_ = Dropping
water will wear away a stone.

[Ovid begins a line with “Gutta cavat lapidem” an abbreviation of
the proverb “Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.”

“Stillicidi casus lapidem cavat.”--LUCRETIUS, i. 313.]

*_Une goutte d’eau suffit pour faire déborder un vase plein_ =
The last straw breaks the camel’s back.

_Nager entre deux eaux_ = (lit.) To swim under water; (fig.) To
run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

_Faire eau_ (of boats) = To spring a leak.

_Faire de l’eau_ (of boats) = To take in fresh water.

_Laissez couler l’eau_ = Do not be anxious about what cannot be
helped; Don’t cry over spilt milk.

_Cela s’en est allé en eau de boudin_ = That collapsed utterly,
came to nothing.

[The more correct form is _s’en aller en aune de boudin_,
alluding to Perrault’s tale of _Les Souhaits Ridicules_.]

Échapper

_Ce mot m’est échappé_ = That word escaped me inadvertently
(_i.e._, I did not mean to say it).

_Ce mot m’a échappé_ = I have forgotten that word.

Échéant

_Le cas échéant_ = Should such a thing happen; If such should be
the case.

Échelle

_Faire la courte échelle à quelqu’un_ = To allow some one to
climb on one’s shoulders to scale a height; To give a lift to
some one.

_Après lui il faut tirer l’échelle_ = One cannot do better than
he has (_or_, does); He beats the record, takes the cake.

École

_Faire l’école buissonnière_ = To play truant.

_Faire une école_ = To make a blunder.

_Faire école_ = To found (_or_, to be a leader of) a school of
art, literature, music, &c.

Écolier

_Faire un tour d’écolier_ = To play a schoolboy trick.

_Faire une faute d’écolier_ = To make a foolish mistake.

Économie

*_Il n’y a pas de petites économies_ = A penny saved is a penny
earned; Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of
themselves.

[Also: _Les petites économies font les bonnes maisons._]

Écorcher

*_Jamais beau parler n’écorcha la langue_ = Fair words never did
harm; Civility costs nothing.

_Il écorche le français_ = He murders French.

_Il écorche l’anguille par la queue_ = He sets (goes) the wrong
way to work.

Écorner

_Il fait un vent à écorner_ (or, _décorner_) _un bœuf_ = The wind
is enough to blow one’s head off.

Écot

_Chacun a payé son écot_ = Each paid for himself.

Écouter

_Comme cet homme s’écoute!_ = What care that man takes of himself!

_C’est un écoute s’il pleut_ = He is a man who cannot be relied
upon.

[Mills were so called which depended for their motive-power on
rain-water and consequently were continually stopping.]

_Il n’écoute que d’une oreille_ = He pays very little attention.

Écrire

_Écrire de bonne encre à quelqu’un_ = To write to some one in
strong terms.

Écuelle

_Être propre comme une écuelle de chat_ = To be very dirty.

Écurie

*_Fermer l’écurie quand les chevaux sont dehors_ = To lock the
stable door when the steed is stolen.

_C’est un cheval à l’écurie_ = It is a white elephant.

Effet

_Cela fait de l’effet_ = That looks well; That is showy; That
makes a fine display.

_Cela me fait cet effet_ = That seems so to me.

Égal

_Cela m’est égal_ = It is all the same to me; I don’t care.

_Tout lui est égal_ = Everything is the same to him.

_D’égal à égal_ = 1. Between equals. 2. On equal terms.

_C’est égal, je me suis joliment amusé_ = Anyhow (All the same),
I enjoyed myself very much.

Église

*_Près de l’église, loin de Dieu_ = The nearer the church, the
farther from God.

_Gueux comme un rat d’église_ = As poor as a church mouse.

Élan

_Prendre son élan_ = To take one’s spring (before a jump).

Embarras

_Ne faites donc pas tant d’embarras_ = Do not make such a fuss.

_Ce n’est pas l’embarras_ = There is no great difficulty in it;
After all; For the matter of that.

_Elle n’a que l’embarras du choix_ = She has only too much to
choose from.

Emblée

_La loi passa d’emblée_ = The law passed straight off, by
acclamation.

_Il a été reçu d’emblée_ = He passed his examination the first
time he went up, without any difficulty.

Embrasser

*_Qui trop embrasse mal étreint_ = Grasp all, lose all.

[“Qui totum vult totum perdit.”--PUBLIUS SYRUS.

Qui tout convoite tout perd.
L’avarice rompt le sac.
Too much is stark naught.
“Oh, the little more, and how much it is!
And the little less, and what worlds away!”
BROWNING, _Dramatic Lyrics_,
‘_By the Fireside_,’ 39.]

Employer

_Il a employé le vert et le sec pour y parvenir_ = He left no
stone unturned to secure success.

Emporter

_S’emporter comme une soupe au lait_ = To be very hasty-tempered.

_Ne faites pas attention à ses menaces, autant en emporte le
vent_ = Pay no attention to his threats, they are as light as air.

_Emporter ses cliques et ses claques_ = To clear off, bag and
baggage.

_C’est une réponse à l’emporte-pièce_ = It is a very cutting
answer, and to the point.

[_À l’emporte-pièce_ = Cut out by a machine-punch.]

_Cela m’emporte la bouche_ = It burns my mouth (_i.e._ it is too
highly spiced).

Empressé

_Il fait l’empressé auprès de sa vieille tante_ = He pays marked
attention to his old aunt.

Emprunter

_Elle a un air emprunté_ = She looks awkward, embarrassed,
affected.

_Ne choisit pas qui emprunte_ = Beggars cannot be choosers.

[“Qui empruncte ne choisist mie.”
_Maistre Pierre Pathelin_, 79.]

Encensoir

_Casser le nez à quelqu’un à coups d’encensoir_ = To flatter some
one fulsomely to his face. (See _Casser_.)

Enchère

_Payer la folle enchère_ = To pay for one’s rashness, for one’s
folly.

[When a man bids at an auction and does not pay for what he has
bought, the lot is put up again and he has to pay the difference
(if any) between the price it is then sold at and the price he
bid for it.]

_Enchère au rabais_ = A Dutch auction.

Enclume

_Je suis entre l’enclume et le marteau_ = I am in a dilemma; I am
between the devil and the deep sea.

*_Il frappe toujours sur la même enclume_ = He is always harping
on the same string.

*_A dure enclume marteau de plume_ = The strokes of adversity
find the wise man unmoved.

[“Impavidum ferient ruinae.”
HORACE, _Odes_, iii. 3.]

Endroit

_Frapper au bon endroit_ = To touch the right spring; To hit the
right nail on the head; To hit the mark; To touch the spot.

Endimancher

_Des gens endimanchés_ = Folk rigged out in their Sunday best.

Enfant

_Des enfants perdus_ (military) = A forlorn hope.

_Un enfant terrible_ = A child who tells awkward truths.

[Gavarni, the caricaturist, published a series of sketches in
1865 under the title of “Les Enfants Terribles.”]

_Elle a deux enfants du premier lit_ = She has two children by
her first husband.

_C’est un enfant de la balle_ = He is his father’s son; He
follows the profession of his father. (See _Balle_.)

_C’est bien l’enfant de sa mère_ = He is the very image of his
mother.

_Faire l’enfant_ = To behave childishly (on purpose).

Enfiler

_Je ne suis pas ici pour enfiler des perles_ = I am not here to
waste my time.

_Cela ne s’enfile pas comme des perles_ = That is by no means an
easy matter.

Enfonceur

_C’est un enfonceur de portes ouvertes_ = 1. He is a braggart. 2.
He takes a deal of trouble to solve a difficulty which does not
exist.

Engrenage

_Être pris dans l’engrenage_ = To be caught in the toils.

Enlever

_On enleva les journaux comme du pain_ = The papers sold like hot
rolls, like wild-fire.

Ennemi

_Il n’y a pas de petit ennemi_ = Every enemy is to be feared.

[“Croire qu’un faible ennemi ne peut pas nuire, c’est croire
qu’une étincelle ne peut pas causer un incendie.” Sa’adi.]

Enseigne

_Nous sommes logés à la même enseigne_ = We are both in the same
predicament, in the same boat.

[“ἐν γὰρ τῷ αὐτῷ ἐσμεν σκάμματι.” St. Clement’s Epistle to the
Church of Corinth.]

_À telles enseignes_ = In proof whereof; So much so that.

_Je ne le croirai qu’à bonnes enseignes_ = I shall only believe
it upon good authority.

Entendre

_Il entend à demi mot_ = He can take a hint.

*_À bon entendeur, salut_ = A word to the wise is enough; _Verbum
sap._

[“A bon entendeur ne fault qu’une parole.”--RABELAIS,
_Pantagruel_, v. 7.]

_Il n’entend pas de cette oreille_ = (fig.) He will listen to
nothing on that subject.

_Vous ne vous y entendez pas_ = You do not know how to set about
it, how to manage it.

_Il n’entend pas raillerie là-dessus_ = 1. You must not speak
lightly of that before him. 2. He will not be trifled with on
that point.

_Entendre la raillerie_ = To know how to be witty; To be a good
hand at chaff.

_Entendre raillerie_ = Not to be offended at a joke; To stand
chaff well.

_Il n’y entend pas malice_ = 1. He does not mean any harm; He
means no more than he says. 2. He takes it innocently.

_Faire l’entendu_ = To put on a knowing look.

*_Il n’est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre_ = None
so deaf as those who will not hear.

Entente

_Un mot à double entente_ = A word (_or_, remark) with two
meanings.

Enterrer

*_Mieux vaut goujat debout qu’empereur enterré_ = A living dog is
better than a dead lion.

Envie

_J’ai bien envie d’aller à Paris avec vous_ = I have a good mind
to go to Paris with you.

_Il ne porte envie à personne_ = He envies no one.

_Il ne fait envie à personne_ = No one envies him.

_Si l’envie m’en prend_ = If I feel inclined to do it.

Envoyer

_Je l’ai envoyé promener_ (or, fam., _paître_) = I sent him about
his business.

Épée

_C’est son épée de chevet_ = 1. That is his trusty counsellor. 2.
That is what he is always talking about.

[Literally, a sword that hung at the head of a bed to guard one
from nocturnal attacks.

“Voilà leur épée de chevet, de l’argent.”--MOLIÈRE, _L’Avare_,
iii. 5.]

_Passer au fil de l’épée_ = To put to the sword.

_Qui porte épée porte paix_ = One sword keeps another in its
scabbard; _Si vis pacem, para bellum._

Épervier

*_Mariage d’épervier, la femelle vaut mieux que le mâle_ = The
grey mare is the better horse.

Épine

_Tirer une épine du pied à quelqu’un_ = To take a thorn out of
some one’s side; To get some one over a difficulty.

Épingle

_Il est toujours tiré à quatre épingles_ = He always looks as if
he came out of a band-box.

_J’ai tiré mon épingle du jeu_ = I have saved my stake; I got
well out of a bad job.

[Une locution qui vient d’un jeu de petites filles: elles mettent
des épingles dans un rond, et, avec une balle qui, lancée contre
le mur, revient vers le rond, elles essayent d’en faire sortir
les épingles: quand on fait sortir sa mise, on dit qu’on retire
son épingle du jeu.]

_Une épingle par jour fait huit sous par an_ = A pin a day is a
groat a year.

Éponge

_Passons l’éponge là-dessus_ = Let us say no more about it; Let
us forget all about it; Let bygones be bygones.

Épreuve

_C’est un ami à toute épreuve_ = He is a well-tried, faithful,
trusty friend.

Épuiser

_L’édition est épuisée_ = The book is out of print.

Équipée

_Oh! la belle équipée!_ = Here’s a pretty kettle of fish!

Ergot

_Se dresser sur ses ergots_ = To stand on one’s dignity.

Esprit

_Je suis bien dans son esprit_ = He has a good opinion of me.

_Où avez-vous donc l’esprit?_ = What are you thinking of?

_Il a l’esprit aux talons_ = He shines at the wrong end; He is
not witty.

_Il a l’esprit de l’escalier_ = He never thinks of the right
answer at the proper moment.

[_i.e._ He thinks of the right answer going down the staircase,
after leaving the room.]

_Faire de l’esprit_ = To try and be witty.

_Il a de l’esprit comme quatre_ = He is very witty.

_L’esprit court les rues_ = Wit is a drug in the market.

_Avoir l’esprit bien fait_ = To be good-tempered.

_Les grands esprits se rencontrent_ = Great wits always jump
together; We both said the same thing at the same moment.

Essuyer

_Essuyer les plâtres_ = To move into a newly-built house before
the walls are dry; (fig.) To experience the disadvantages of a
beginning.

Estomac

_Avoir l’estomac dans les talons_ = To be as hungry as a hunter.

État

_Nous faisons peu d’état de cet homme_ = We consider that man
very little; We take little account of that man.

_De son état_ = By profession, by trade.

_Je l’ai mis hors d’état de vous nuire_ = I have put it out of
his power to harm you.

_Pour un rien il se met dans tous ses états_ (fam.) = He gets
very excited over a mere trifle.

_L’État, c’est moi!_ = The State! I am the State.

[CHÉRUEL, _Histoire de l’Administration monarchique en France_,
Livre II. p. 32.]

Étoffe

_Il y a de l’étoffe dans cet enfant_ = There is grit in that boy.

Étoile

_Voir des étoiles (la lune) en plein midi_ = To receive a
violent blow in the eye, so as to “see stars.”

Étourdir

_Étourdir la grosse faim_ = To take the edge off one’s appetite.

Être

_Je n’y suis pour personne_ = I am not at home to anybody.

_Je n’y suis pour rien_ = I have nothing to do with it; I have no
hand in it.

_Vous n’y êtes pas_ = You do not understand it; “You are out of
it.”

_J’y suis, j’y reste_ = Here I am, here I stop.

[Marshal MacMahon in the trenches before the Malakoff, Sept. 9,
1855.]

_Cette fois, ça y est_ = Now it is done, and no mistake.

_Je n’en suis plus_ = I am no longer one of the party; I no
longer belong to it.

_Il n’en a rien été_ = Nothing came of it.

_Il en a été pour sa peine_ = He had his trouble for nothing.

_Il en sera ce qu’il vous plaira_ = It shall be just as you
please.

_Je ne sais plus où j’en suis_ = 1. I have lost the place where I
left off (in reading, etc.). 2. I do not know what I am about.

_Je suis très bien avec lui_ = I am on very good terms with him.

_Êtes-vous de la noce?_ = Are you one of the wedding party?

_Êtes-vous des nôtres_ = Are you one of our party? Are you one of
us? Do you think as we do?

_Voilà ce que c’est que de se mettre en colère_ = That is the
consequence of losing one’s temper.

_Je suis à l’étroit_ = I am cramped for room.

*_On ne peut pas être et avoir été_ = One cannot have one’s cake
and eat it. (See _Drap_.)

Étrenne

_Tu n’en auras pas l’étrenne_ = You will not be the first to use
it.

Étrier

_Il a le pied à l’étrier_ = He is ready to start.

_Buvez le coup de l’étrier_ = Drink the stirrup-cup.

_A franc étrier_ = At full speed. (See _Bride_ and _Train_.)

Évangile

_C’est l’Évangile_ (or, _c’est parole d’Évangile_) = It is gospel
truth.

Excuser

*_Qui s’excuse, s’accuse_ = If you try to excuse yourself you
practically acknowledge that you have done wrong; A guilty
conscience needs no accuser.

_Excusez du peu_ (ironic.) = Only that? How modest!

Exemple

_Il prêcha d’exemple_ = He practised what he preached; He set the
example.

*_Peu de leçons, beaucoup d’exemples_ = Precepts lead, examples
draw; It is easiest learning at another’s cost.

Expérience

*_Expérience passe science_ = Experience is the best master;
Experientia docet.

[“Experience is the best of schoolmasters, only the school fees
are heavy.” CARLYLE, _Misc. Essays_, i. 137.]

Extrême

_Les extrêmes se touchent_ = Extremes meet; Too far east is west;
Too much care may be as bad as downright negligence.

F.

Fabrique

_C’est de sa fabrique_ = That is of his invention.

_Marque de fabrique_ = Trade-mark.

Face

_Il fera face à tout_ = He will meet every demand.

_Ce portrait est pris de face_ = That portrait is taken full face.

_Jouer à pile ou face_ = To play at heads or tails, pitch and
toss.

_Il le regarda bien en face_ = He looked him straight in the face.

Façon

_Donner un ouvrage à façon_ = To put out a job to be done.

_On travaille à façon_ (of small tailors, etc.) = People’s own
materials made up.

_C’est un conte de sa façon_ = It is a story of his own invention.

_Maintenant qu’il est riche, il s’en donne de la bonne façon_ =
Now he is rich, he refuses himself nothing.

_Je lui dirai ma façon de penser_ = I’ll give him a piece of my
mind.

_Une façon de parler_ = A form of speech; A way of speaking (not
to be taken literally).

[_e.g._ “Quand je dis qu’il n’est jamais venu en Angleterre c’est
une façon de parler, car il a passé huit jours à Douvres il y a
dix ans.”]

_Cet homme n’a ni mine ni façon_ = That man has neither grace nor
good looks; That man is as awkward as he is ugly.

_C’est lui qui fait les sottises et c’est moi qui en paye la
façon_ = He commits the mistakes and I have to pay for them.

_Il a bonne façon_ = He has good style; He is well got up.

_De toute façon il a tort_ = At any rate he is wrong; Whichever
way you look at it, he is wrong.

_Sans façon_ = Without ceremony, without fuss.

_De façon ou d’autre_ = Somehow or other.

Fagot

_C’est un vrai fagot d’épines_ = He is a regular bear.

*_Il y a fagots et fagots_ = There are men and men; All men are
not alike.
[MOLIÈRE, _Le Médecin malgré lui_, i. 6.]

_Sentir le fagot_ = 1. To be tainted with heresy (obsolete). 2.
Not to be quite honest.

Fagoter

_Comme vous voilà fagotée!_ = How awkwardly you are dressed! What
a fright (_or_, dowdy) you look!

[“Pour moi, quand une femme a le don de se taire,
Eût-elle en vrai magot tout le corps fagoté,
Je lui voudrais donner le prix de la beauté.”
CORNEILLE, _Le Menteur_.]

Faillir

_J’ai failli tomber_ = I very nearly fell.

Faim

_C’est la faim qui épouse la soif_ = They are both very poor; It
is one beggar marrying another.

*_La faim chasse le loup hors du bois_ = Hunger tames the lion;
Hunger will break through stone walls.

Faire

_Rien n’y fait_ = Nothing has any effect upon him (_or_, on it);
It is all of no use.

_Comment est-il fait?_ = What sort of a man is he?

*_Ce qui est fait est fait_ = It is no good crying over spilt
milk.

*_On ne peut faire qu’en faisant_ = Practice makes perfect.

_Faire la Saint-Lundi_ = To do no work on Monday. (See _Lundi_.)

[Colloquially: _Faire le Lundi._]

_Tâchez de faire quelques provisions_ = Try and collect some
provisions.

_Faire dix ans de travaux forcés_ = To undergo ten years’ penal
servitude.

_Il est bon de se faire à la fatigue_ = It is good to accustom
oneself to fatigue.

_Coquelin fait le rôle principal_ = Coquelin is taking the
principal part.

_On le fait riche_ = He is said to be rich.

_Cela ne me fait ni chaud ni froid_ = It is all the same to me.

_Je n’ai que faire de vos conseils_ = I do not care a jot for
your advice; I do not want your advice.

*_Qui bien fera, bien (se) trouvera_ = Who works well will
have a good reward.

_Il ne faut pas me la faire_ (pop.) = You must not try that on
with me.

_Combien faites-vous cette étoffe?_ = How much are you asking for
this stuff?

_Il aime à ce qu’on fasse cas de lui_ = He likes to be made a
fuss of.

_Il fait bien son chemin_ = He is getting on in the world.

_Ils ne font qu’un_ = They are hand and glove together.

_Cela fait beaucoup_ = That makes a great difference.

_Cela me fait sortir des gonds_ = That exasperates me.

_Il faut faire mousser sa marchandise_ = One must puff one’s
goods.

_Qu’est-ce que cela me fait?_ = What is that to me?

_Faire huit kilomètres à pied, à cheval, en voiture_ = To walk,
ride, drive, five miles.

_Le vert fait bien avec le rose_ = Green goes well with pink;
Pink and green are fit for a queen.

_Faire des siennes_ = To be at one’s old tricks.

_Il n’en fait qu’à sa volonté_ = He is self-willed.

_C’est à faire à vous de réussir_ = You are the man to succeed.

_C’en est fait de lui_ = He is done for; It is all up with him.

_Ce qui est fait n’est pas à faire_ = Better to finish it now
than to leave it.

_Ce n’est ni fait ni à faire_ = It is done, but badly, (in a
slovenly fashion).

_Il fait cher vivre à Londres_ = Living in London is dear.

_Que faire?_ = What am I (_or_, are we) to do? What is to be done?

_Pourquoi faire?_ = What for?

_Comment faire?_ = What is to be done?

_Que voulez-vous que j’y fasse?_ = How can I help it? What would
you have me do? It is no business of mine.

_Je ne saurais qu’y faire_ = I cannot help it.

_A chose faite point de remède_ = What is done cannot be undone.

_Laissez-le faire_ = Do not interfere with him.

_Si faire se peut_ = If possible.

_Cela ne fait rien_ = That does not matter.

_Il n’en fera rien_ = He will do nothing of the sort.

_Je m’y fais_ = I am getting used to it.

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

_Quel temps fait-il?_ = What is the weather like?

_Quel temps il fait!_ = What weather this is!

_Paris ne s’est pas fait en un jour_ = Rome was not built in a
day.

_Il s’est fait jardinier_ = He became a gardener.

_Elle se fait vieille_ = She is getting old.

_Pour se faire la main_ = To get one’s hand in (_i.e._ to get
accustomed to the work).

_Se faire jour à travers la foule_ = To force one’s way through
the crowd.

_Je me fais fort de le faire_ = I feel quite confident of doing
it.

_Coquelin sait le mieux se faire une tête_ = Coquelin is the
cleverest at altering his features, at making up.

_Cela se fait maintenant_ = That is the fashion now.

_Cela ne se fait pas_ = That is not proper; That is not the
correct thing.

Faiseur

_C’est un faiseur d’embarras_ = He is a fussy personage.

Fait

_Cela est de mon fait_ = That is my doing.

_Venons au fait_ = Let us come to the point.

_Mettez-moi au fait de ce qui s’est passé_ = Tell me what
happened.

_Il lui a dit son fait_ = He told him what he thought of him
(_not_ complimentary); He gave him a bit of his mind.

_Si fait!_ = Yes, indeed! On the contrary!

_Cette place est votre fait_ = That situation is just the thing
for you.

_Je suis sûr de mon fait_ = I am sure of what I am saying; I know
what I am about.

_C’est un fait accompli_ = It is done and cannot be undone.

_Travailler à prix fait_ (or, _à forfait_) = To work at an agreed
price; To work by the piece.

_Prendre quelqu’un sur le fait_ = To take any one in the act.

_Il a pris fait et cause pour moi_ = He stood up for me; He took
my part.

Falloir

_L’homme qu’il faut_ = The very man (for a post).

_Il le faut_ = It must be so.

_Il fallait voir comme il était content_ = You should have seen
how happy he was.

_Peu s’en fallut qu’il ne fût reçu_ = He was all but received; He
failed for a few marks.

[Latin: Haud multum abfuit quin....]

_C’est un homme comme il faut_ = He is a perfect gentleman.

_C’est un homme comme il en faut_ = He is one of the right sort.

[Sometimes in bad sense: He is the sort of man we want to do that
dirty work.]

_C’est un homme comme il en faudrait beaucoup_ = I wish more
men were like him (because of his straightforward or courageous
nature).

_S’il n’est pas un fripon, il ne s’en faut guère_ = If he is not
a rascal, he is precious near it.

_Il s’en faut beaucoup que l’un ait autant de mérite que l’autre_
= There is a great difference in merit between the two.

_Il s’en faut de beaucoup que leur nombre soit complet_ = Their
number is far from being complete.

[The former of these two idioms should refer to quality, the
latter to quantity.]

Farine

_Des gens de même farine_ = Persons of the same kidney (generally
in a bad sense); People tarred with the same brush.

Fat

“_Le bruit est pour le fat, la plainte pour le sot,
L’honnête homme trompé s’éloigne et ne dit mot_,”
= Rows are for muffs, ’tis only fools complain.
The gentleman deceived will grin and bear the pain.
[LA NOUE, _La Coquette corrigée_, i. 3 (1756).]

Faute

_Rien ne vous fera faute_ = You will want for nothing.

_Il ne se fait faute de rien_ = He denies himself nothing.

_C’est une faute d’inattention_ = It is a slip.

_C’est une faute d’impression_ = It is a misprint.

_Il ne se fait pas faute de se plaindre_ = He complains freely.

_Faute de mieux_ = For want of something better.

Faux

_Chanter faux_ = To sing out of tune.

_Faire un faux pas_ = (lit.) To stumble; (fig.) To make a slip;
To commit a mistake.

_Vous faites fausse route_ = You are taking the wrong road; You
are on the wrong track.

_Cette poutre porte à faux_ = That beam does not rest properly on
its support.

_Cette remarque a porté à faux_ = That remark was not to the
point, was not conclusive.

_Faux comme un jeton_ = As false as Judas; As false as a die.

_Je m’inscris en faux contre cette assertion_ = I emphatically
deny the truth of that assertion.

Fée

_C’est la fée Carabosse_ = She is an old hag.

Fêler

*_Les pots fêlés sont ceux qui durent le plus_ = The door with
the creaking hinge hangs longest; The cracked pitcher goes
oftenest to the well.

Femme

*_Femme qui parle comme homme et geline qui chante comme coq ne
sont bonnes à tenir_ =

A whistling woman and a crowing hen
Are good for neither cocks nor men.

[“C’est chose qui moult me deplaist,
Quand poule parle et coq se taist.”
_Roman de la Rose._

“La poule ne doit pas chanter devant le coq.”
MOLIÈRE, _Les Femmes Savantes_, v. 3.]

*_Prends le premier conseil d’une femme et non le second_ = A
woman’s instinct is better than her reason.

[Montaigne coined the phrase _l’esprit primesautier_ to describe
this feminine peculiarity of either seeing a thing at once or not
at all.]

_Femme sotte se connaît à la cotte_ = A foolish woman is known by
her finery.

_Ce que femme veut Dieu le veut_ = Woman must have her way.

*_Souvent femme varie,
Bien fol est qui s’y fie_ =
Between a woman’s yes and no,
There’s no room for a pin to go.
A woman’s mind
And winter wind
Change oft.

[These words are said to have been written by François I. on two
little leaded panes in his room at the castle of Chambord, about
ten miles from Blois. Brantôme says that while talking with his
sister, Marguerite d’Angoulême, he engraved the saying with a
diamond ring. Report has it that Louis XIV. broke the glass with
his stick at the request of Mademoiselle de la Vallière. However
that may be, the visitor to Chambord will see that the words have
been rewritten on the window.]

_Ciel pommelé et femme fardée ne sont pas de longue durée_ = A
mackerel sky, not long wet and not long dry.

Fenêtre

_Il faut passer par là ou par la fenêtre_ = It is absolutely
inevitable.

Fer

*_Il faut battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud_ = You must
strike while the iron is hot.

[“Ce pendant que le fer est chault il le fault
battre.”--RABELAIS, _Pantagruel_, ii. 31.]

_Cela ne vaut pas les quatre fers d’un chien_ = That is not worth
a rap, a fig (_i.e._, nothing, for a dog is not shod).

_Il tomba les quatre fers en l’air_ = (lit.) He fell on his back;
(fig.) He was struck all of a heap.

_Il y a quelque fer qui cloche_ = There is a hitch somewhere. (See
_Clocher_.)

Férir

_Sans coup férir_ = Without striking a blow.

Ferré

_Il est ferré sur la géographie_ = He is well up in geography.

Fête

*_Ce n’est pas tous les jours fête_ = Christmas comes but once a
year.

_Faire fête à quelqu’un_ = To welcome some one heartily.

_Je me fais une fête de passer huit jours à la campagne_ = I
look forward with pleasure to the idea of spending a week in the
country.

Feu

_Il n’a ni feu ni lieu_ = He has neither house nor home.

_L’ennemi mit le pays à feu et à sang_ = The enemy put the
country to fire and sword.

_Je n’y ai vu que du feu_ = It was impossible for me to find out
how the thing was done (as it was done so quickly); It was done
so quickly (_or_, cleverly) that I could not make head or tail of
it.

_Vous me faites mourir à petit feu_ = You are killing me by
inches; You are torturing me to death.

_Il ne faut pas jouer avec le feu_ = One should not play with
edged tools.

_Il n’est feu que de bois vert_ = None are so active as the young.

_Il jette feu et flamme_ = He frets and fumes; He is in a great
rage.

_Faire feu des quatre pieds_ = To strain every nerve.

_Ce n’est qu’un feu de paille_ = It is only a flash in the pan;
It will not last.

_Il a jeté tout son feu_ = 1. His anger is over now. 2. He has
used up all his ideas.

_C’est le feu et l’eau_ = They are as opposite as fire and water.

_Faire feu_ = To fire (rifles, guns).

_Faire du feu_ = To light a fire.

Fève