Chapter D: Dame (2)

*_Il a trouvé la fève au gâteau_ = He has hit the mark; He has
made a lucky discovery.

[It was (and is still in many places) the custom to hide a bean
in the cake on Twelfth Night, and the person who found it was the
king of the revels.

“Pensent avoir trouvé la fève du gasteau.”
RÉGNIER, _Satires_, vii.]

*_Donner un pois pour avoir une fève_ = To give a sprat to catch
a herring. (See _Œuf_.)

Fier

_Fier comme Artaban_ (or, _comme un Écossais_) = As proud as a
peacock.

[Artaban was the hero of _Cléopâtre_, a romance by La Calprenède,
a Gascon. The phrase is also said to be derived from Artabanes,
King of Parthia. “Plus fier que tous les Artabans.”--ROSTAND,
_Cyrano de Bergerac_, i. 2.]

Fièvre

*_Tomber de fièvre en chaud mal_ (or, _de la poêle dans la
braise_, _de Charybde en Scylla_) = To fall out of the frying-pan
into the fire.

[“Incidit in Scyllam cupiens vitare Charybdim.”--Compare HOMER,
_Od._ xii. 85.

“Thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis,
your mother.”--SHAKESPEARE, _Merchant of Venice_, iii. 5.]

Figue

*_Moitié figue, moitié raisin_ = 1. Partly willingly, partly by
force. 2. Half one thing and half another. 3. Half in jest, half
in earnest.

[This expression is often used of a remark that may be
complimentary or not.]

Fil

_Je lui donnerai du fil à retordre_ = I will cut out his work for
him; I will give him a deal of trouble.

_Ce sont des finesses cousues de fil blanc_ = Those tricks are
easily found out.

*_A toile ourdie Dieu envoie le fil_ = God sends thread for a
begun web.

_Au fil de l’eau_ = With the stream.

_Au fil de l’épée_ = To the edge of the sword.

Filer

_Filer à l’anglaise_ = To leave without saying good-bye, without
attracting attention; To take French leave.

*_Du temps que Berthe filait_ = When Adam delved and Eve span; In
the good old times.

[Berthe was the mother of Charlemagne. She was known as _Berthe
au grand pied_ from her club foot.]

_Filer doux_ = To sing small.

_Il faut filer_ (or, _Filons!_) (fam.) = We must be off, trot off.

Fille

_La plus belle fille du monde ne peut donner que ce qu’elle a_ =
No man can give more than he has; A man cannot give what he has
not got.

*_Quand on a des filles, on est toujours berger_ =
My son is my son till he gets him a wife,
My daughter’s my daughter all the days of her life.

*_Fille oisive, à mal pensive_ = An idle brain is the devil’s
workshop.

[“For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.”
ISAAC WATTS, _Divine Songs_, xx.]

_Fille trop vue, robe trop vêtue,
N’est pas chère tenue._ =
A maid often seen, a garment often worn,
Are disesteemed and held in scorn.

Fils

_Il est bien le fils de son père_ = He is a chip of the old block.

_Être le fils de ses œuvres_ = To be a self-made man.

Fin (subst.)

_À la fin vous voilà!_ = Here you are at last!

_À la fin des fins_ (or, _en fin finale_) _vous nous direz
quelque chose_ = At last you will tell us something.

_À telle fin que de raison_ = At all events; At any rate.

*_La fin couronne l’œuvre_ = The end crowns all; All’s well that
ends well.

*_Qui veut la fin veut les moyens_ = Where there is a will there
is a way; If you want the end you must not stick at the means.

*_La fin justifie les moyens_ = Success justifies the means by
which it has been attained.

_Il touche à sa fin_ = He is nearing his end; It is nearly over.

*_En toutes choses il faut considérer la fin_ = We must always
look to the end; Look before you leap.

[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iii. 5. The motto of the Kennedy family
is “Look to the end,” or “Avise la fin.”]

_C’est fin de siècle_ = That is smart, up to date.

[This expression came to the front in Paris about the time of the
1889 Exhibition. In 1890 appeared a play called “Paris fin de
siècle,” by Blum and Toché, in which occur these words: “C’est
un mot nouveau qui dit très bien ce qu’il veut dire. Le siècle
n’a plus que dix ans à vivre et, vois-tu, il veut les passer
gaiement.” The saying, however, has lost its sense, and is
becoming obsolete now that a new century has begun.]

Fin (adj.)

_Il sait le fort et le fin de son art_ = He knows every trick of
his trade.

_Plus fin que lui n’est pas bête_ = He who can take him in is no
fool.

_J’arrive du fin fond de l’Afrique_ = I have come from the very
depths of Africa.

_C’est une fine mouche_ (or, _lame_) = He is a cunning fellow, a
sly dog. (See _Compère_.)

_C’est fin contre fin_ = It is diamond cut diamond.

[Also: _Fin contre fin ne vaut rien pour doublure._]

_Fin contre fin gare la bombe_ = “When Greeks joined Greeks, then
was the tug of war.”
[NATHANIEL LEE, _Alexander the Great_, iv. 2.]

_Dites nous le fin mot_ = Tell us the secret.

_Il a le nez fin_ = 1. He has a good nose. 2. He is far-sighted,
sagacious.

_Jouer au plus fin_ = To vie in cunning.

Finir

_Ce sont des disputes à n’en plus finir_ = Those are endless
quarrels.

Flamber

_C’est un homme flambé_ = He is a ruined man, a lost man.

Flanc

_Il s’est battu les flancs pour rien_ = He gave himself all that
trouble for nothing.

_Il est sur le flanc_ = He is laid up, on his back.

_Prêter le flanc à des reproches_ = To lay oneself open to
reproaches.

Flétrir

*_De rose flétrie nul ne soucie_ = The fading rose has no suitor.

Fleur

_C’est la fine fleur de l’armée_ = It is the cream of the army.

_L’affaire passa à fleur de corde_ = The matter only just
succeeded.

_Les yeux à fleur de tête_ = Goggle eyes (_i.e._ on a level with
the cheek-bone and fore-head).

_À fleur de terre_ = On a level (_or_, flush) with the ground.

_À la fleur de l’âge_ = In the prime of life.

_Il a les nerfs à fleur de peau_ = His nerves are always on the
twitch; He is extremely sensitive.

Fleurette

_Conter fleurettes_ = To say soft nothings.

Flûte

*_Ce qui vient de la flûte s’en va au tambour_ = Lightly come,
lightly go; What is dishonestly acquired is easily dissipated.

Foi

_C’est un homme sans foi ni loi_ = He is a man without honour or
honesty.

_Il est de peu de foi_ = He is not to be trusted.

_Ses ouvrages en font foi_ = His works prove it.

*_C’est avec la bonne foi qu’on va le plus loin_ = Honesty is the
best policy.

_La foi du charbonnier_ = Blind faith.

_Je ne puis ajouter foi à ce qu’il dit_ = I cannot believe what
he says.

_Ma foi!_ = Upon my word!

Foin

_Mettre du foin dans ses bottes_ = To feather one’s nest.

[Literally, to place hay in one’s wooden shoes to keep one’s feet
warm. Another saying is _Mettre du beurre dans ses épinards_.]

_Avoir du foin dans ses bottes_ = To be well off.

_Quand il n’y a pas de foin au râtelier, les chevaux se battent_
= When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out at the window.

Folie

_Ce qui me lie, c’est ma folie_ = Straw bands will tie a fool’s
hands.

Fond

_Je fais fond sur vous_ = I rely on you.

_Il sait cette langue à fond_ = He knows that language thoroughly.

_Il est ruiné de fond en comble_ = He is utterly ruined.

_Au fond, il a tort_ = He is wrong in reality.

_Courir à fond de train_ = To run at the top of one’s speed.

Fonds

_Article de fonds_ = Leading article (in a newspaper).

_Il possède une fortune en bien-fonds_ = He has a fortune in
landed property.

_Il a placé son argent à fonds perdu_ = He sank his money in an
annuity.

*“_Travaillez, prenez de la peine;
C’est le fonds qui manque le moins_” =
Work and take pains, _that_ you can always do.
Hard work and pain
Are ne’er in vain.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, v. 9.]

Fontaine

*_Il ne faut pas dire, “Fontaine, je ne boirai pas de ton eau”_ =
One must never be sure of not wanting some one (_or_, something).

[Compare the proverb that Alfred de Musset took for the title of
one of his Proverbes: “Il ne faut jurer de rien.”]

Force

_Tu me payeras de gré ou de force_ = You shall pay me, whether
you like it or not.

_Hugo est un romantique dans toute la force du terme_ = Hugo is a
romanticist in the full sense of the word.

_Je suis à bout de force_ = I am exhausted, played out.

_Je ne suis pas de votre force_ = (lit.) I am not so strong as
you are; (fig.) I am no match for you.

_Force m’est de partir_ = I am compelled to go.

_Il faut à toute force l’empêcher de sortir_ = You must prevent
him going out by all the means in your power; We must do all we
can to prevent him going out.

_Il y avait force badauds_ = A quantity of loafers were there.

*_La force prime le droit_ = Might is right. (See _Fort_.)

_C’est un joueur de première force_ = He is a first-rate player.

_Force est restée à la loi_ = The police proved the stronger;
Order was restored.

_C’est un cas de force majeure_ = It is a case of absolute
necessity; It is an utter impossibility.

[_e.g._ “Le témoin n’a pu venir parce qu’il est dangereusement
malade; son absence est due à un cas de force majeure.”]

_Faire force de voiles_ = To crowd on all sail.

_Faire force de rames_ = To row with all one’s might.

*_Tout par amour, rien par force_ = Sweet words will succeed
where mere strength will fail; You may row your heart out if wind
and tide are against you.

_À force de travailler_ = By dint of working.

_À force de bras_ = By strength of arm.

_De vive force_ = By main force.

_Un tour de force_ = A feat (of strength or skill).

Forgeron

*_À force de forger on devient forgeron_ = Practice makes
perfect; Drawn wells are seldom dry.

[Lat. _Fit fabricando faber._]

Fort

_Cela est trop fort_ (or, _raide_) = That is too bad; That is
beyond a joke.

_Cela est par trop fort_ = That is really too bad.

[This _par_ is derived from the Latin intensive particle _per_,
as in perhorridus. In French one finds such words as _parfaire_,
_parachever_, and in old French this prefix was separable. Thus,
_tant il est parsage_ might be written _tant il par est sage_.
So, _Cela est par trop fort_ = _Cela est trop parfort_.]

_C’est un esprit fort_ = He is a freethinker.

_Voilà qui est fort_ = That is rather strong.

_Ça, ce n’est pas fort_ = That is very tame; There is not much in
that.

_A plus forte raison_ = All the more reason; A fortiori.

_Il faut que je parle, c’est plus fort que moi_ = I must speak, I
cannot help it.

_Le plus fort est fait_ = The worst is over; The most difficult
part is done.

_Savoir le fort et le faible de l’affaire_ = To know the ins and
outs of the matter.

_Le fort portant le faible_ = One thing with another; On an
average.

*“_La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure_” = Might is
right; There is no arguing with a large fist.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, i. 10, _Le loup et l’agneau_.]

_Fort comme un Turc_ = As strong as a horse.

“_Ou tôt ou tard, ou près ou loin,
Le fort du faible a besoin_” =

The lion had need of the mouse.
[GÉNIN, _Récréations_, ii. 250.]

Fortune

_Chacun a dans sa vie un souris de la fortune_ = Fortune knocks
once at every man’s door.

_La fortune rit aux sots_ = Fools have the best luck.

[“Fortuna fortes adjuvat.”--LIVY, xxxiv. 37.]

_Voulez-vous accepter la fortune du pot?_ = Will you take
pot-luck with us?

_Faire contre fortune bon cœur_ = To bear up against misfortune;
To make the best of a bad job.

Fou

_Cela lui a coûté un argent fou_ (fam.) = That cost him a heap of
money.

*_Combattre un fou est temps perdu_ = Fools are not to be
convinced.

[Schiller says: “Heaven and Earth fight in vain against a dunce”
(“Mit der Dummheit fechten Götter selbst vergebens.”--_Jungfrau
von Orleans_), and the Chinese say: “One never needs his wit so
much as when one argues with a fool.”]

_Ne faites pas messagers des fous_ = “He that sendeth a message
by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet and drinketh damage.”
Prov. xxvi. 6.

_Un fol ou bête
Fait bien conquête,
Mais bon ménage
C’est fait du sage_ =

A fool may meet with good fortune, but the wise only profit by it.

*_Plus on est de fous plus on rit_ = The more the merrier.

*_Qui ne sait pas être fou n’est pas sage_ = He is not wise who
does not sometimes make merry; It takes a wise man to make a fool.

*_Les fous sont aux échecs les plus proches des rois_ = In chess
the fool stands next to the king. (RÉGNIER, _Sat._ xiv.)

[This implies that it is not only at chess that the king is
surrounded by fools, but at court too. It must not be forgotten
that _le fou_ is called _the bishop_ in the English game.]

_Il est fou à lier_ (or, _fou furieux_) = He is raving mad.

_Il vaut mieux être fou avec tous que sage tout seul_ = “One had
as good be out of the world as out of the fashion.”
[COLLEY CIBBER, _Love’s Last Shift_, Act ii.]

_La Folle du Logis_ = Fancy, imagination.

Fouet

_Il ne marche qu’à coups de fouet_ = He works only when he is
compelled.

Fouetter

_Fouette, cocher!_ = Fire away! Go ahead!

Four

_Il fait noir comme dans un four_ = It is as dark as pitch.
[MOLIÈRE, _Le Sicilien_, ii.]

_Faire un four_ = To make a blunder.

_Cette pièce a fait four_ = That piece was a failure, a frost.

_On ne peut être au four et au moulin_ = One cannot be in two
places at the same time.

Fourchette

_Une bonne fourchette_ = A good trencherman.

Fourgon

*_La pelle se moque du fourgon_ = The pot calls the kettle black.

Fourreau

*_L’épée_ (or, _la lame_) _use le fourreau_ = The mind is too
active for the body.

[“A fiery soul, which, working out its way,
Fretted the pigmy body to decay.”
DRYDEN, _Absalom and Achitophel_, i.]

Fourrer

_Il ne savait où se fourrer_ = He did not know where to hide his
head.

_Il faut qu’il fourre le doigt_ (or, more fam., _nez_) _partout_
= He must have a finger in every one’s pie.

Frais

_En être pour ses frais_ = To have lost one’s money (_or_, pains)
for nothing.

_Faire des frais_ = (lit.) To go to expense; (fig.) To make
efforts to please.

_Faire ses frais_ = To cover one’s expenses.

_Faire les frais de la conversation_ = 1. To keep a conversation
going. 2. To be (oneself) the subject of conversation.

Français

_En bon français_ = (lit.) In good French; (fig.) In plain
English (_i.e._ without mincing matters).

_Parler français comme une vache espagnole_ = To speak French
very badly.

[This is said to be a corruption of _comme un Basque espagnol_
(formerly written _Vace_). The Basques speak French with a very
bad accent, owing to their language having no relation whatever
to the Romance tongues.]

Franquette

_Recevoir quelqu’un à la bonne franquette_ = To treat a person
without ceremony.

Frein

_Ronger son frein_ = To put up with annoyance in silence.

_A vieille mule frein doré_ = Old women have the finest clothes.

Friandise

_Aimer les friandises (chatteries)_ = To have a sweet tooth.

Friser

_Elle frise la quarantaine_ = She is just upon forty.

Froid

_Cela se mange froid_ = (lit.) That is eaten cold; (fig.) That is
a matter of no importance; That is easily done.

_Il n’a pas froid aux yeux_ = He is a plucky fellow.

_Il fait un froid de loup_ = It is terribly cold.

Front

_Vous heurtez de front tous ses préjugés_ = You run counter to
(_or_, openly attack) all his prejudices.

_Il mène plusieurs affaires de front_ = He carries on several
schemes simultaneously; He has many irons in the fire.

_Marcher de front_ = To walk abreast.

Frotter

*_Qui s’y frotte s’y pique_ = Whoever meddles with it, will smart
for it.

[Compare the motto of the Order of the Thistle: Nemo me impune
lacessit.]

_Je ne vous conseille pas de vous y frotter_ = I advise you not
to meddle with it.

_On l’a frotté d’importance_ (or, _comme il faut_) = He got a
good drubbing.

Fuite

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

Fumée

_Manger son pain à la fumée du rôt_ = To see others enjoying
themselves without joining in.

_Il n’y a pas de feu sans fumée_ = There is no smoke without fire.

[Though the French form is not exact, it is preferred to “_il
n’y a pas de fumée sans feu_” for rhythmical reasons. Compare
PLAUTUS, _Curculio_, i. 1, 53, “Flamma fumo est proxima.”]

Fur

_Au fur et à mesure_ = In proportion as.

Fureur

_Cela fait fureur maintenant_ = That is quite the rage now; That
is all the go now.

Fusil

_Changer son fusil d’épaule_ = To change one’s opinion,
profession, tactics.

[A more familiar expression is _retourner sa veste_ = to be a
turn-coat.]

G.

Gaffe

_Faire une gaffe_ = To put one’s foot in it; To make a stupid
blunder.

Gageure

*_La gageure est la preuve des sots_ =

“Most men (till by losing rendered sager),
Will back their own opinions with a wager.”
[BYRON, _Beppo_, 27.]

Gagner

*_Qui épargne gagne_ = A penny saved is a penny earned.

_Il gagne à être connu_ = He improves upon acquaintance.

Gai

_Il est gai comme un pinson_ = He is as merry as a grig, as a
lark.

_Il est gai comme un bonnet de nuit_ (ironic.) = He is as dull as
ditchwater. (See _Bonnet_.)

Gaieté

_De gaieté de cœur_ = Out of pure wantonness.

Gaillard

_Être sur le gaillard d’avant_ = To serve before the mast; To be
a common seaman.

Galère

_Vogue la galère!_ = Happen what may! “Go it, ye cripples!”

*“_Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?_” = Whatever
induced him to get into that fix? Whatever business had he there?

[MOLIÈRE, _Fourberies de Scapin_, ii. II, imitated from a scene
of _Le Pédant joué_ by Cyrano de Bergerac, as is noted by M.
Edmond Rostand in his play, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” v. 6:

_Rag._ Hier on jouait _Scapin_
Et j’ai vu qu’il vous a pris une scène.
_Le Bret._ Entière!
_Rag._ Oui, Monsieur, le fameux: “Que diable allait-il faire?”

In Molière, Scapin, the amusing but rascally servant of farce,
in order to obtain more money out of Géronte, the father of his
young master, Léandre, pretends that the latter has been taken
prisoner on board a Turkish galley and that the captain demands
500 crowns as ransom. Géronte in the dilemma of losing either his
money or his son, at last parts with his treasured gold, but not
without repeating several times in heartfelt sorrow, “_Que diable
allait-il faire dans cette galère?_”]

Galeux

*_Il ne faut qu’une brebis galeuse pour infecter tout un
troupeau_ = One scabby sheep will taint a whole flock.

*_Qui se sent galeux, se gratte_ (fam.) = If the cap fits, wear
it. (See _Morveux_.)

Galon

_Quand on prend du galon on n’en saurait trop prendre_ = As well
be hanged for a sheep as a lamb; One cannot make too much of a
favourable opportunity.

[This is a parody of a line in Quinault’s _Roland_, ii. 5: “Quand
on prend de l’amour, on n’en saurait trop prendre.”]

Gant

_Il s’en donne les gants_ = He takes the credit of it.

[It was the custom to give a pair of gloves to the messenger who
first brought a piece of good news.]

_Cela me va comme un gant_ = That fits me to a T; That suits me
down to the ground.

Garçon

_Vous voilà joli garçon!_ = A pretty fellow you are!

Garde

_Mon chien est de bonne garde_ = Mine is a good watch-dog.

_Ces poires sont de bonne garde_ = These pears will keep well.

_Il n’a garde de venir_ = He will take care to keep away; There
is no chance of his coming.

Garder

_Il vous en garde une bonne_ (pop.) = He is keeping a rod in
pickle for you.

_Gardez-vous en bien!_ = Mind you do not do it!

Gaspiller

_Ce garçon gaspille son temps_ = That boy fools his time away.

Geler

_Geler à pierre fendre_ = To freeze very hard.

Gémir

_Faire gémir la presse_ (ironic.) = To print one’s writings.

Gêne

_Il est sans gêne_ = He is free and easy (casual, off-hand); He
makes himself too much at home.

*_Où il y a de la gêne il n’y a pas de plaisir_ (ironic.) = There
is nothing like making one’s self at home everywhere.

_Il a connu la gêne_ = He knows what want is.

Gêner

_Est-ce que je vous gêne?_ = Am I in your way?

_Ne vous gênez pas!_ = Do not stand upon ceremony! Make yourself
at home! Don’t mind me!

_Il ne se gêne guère_ = Doesn’t he make himself at home! Well, he
is a cool customer!

_Il est plus gênant que gêné_ = His free and easy manners are
unpleasant to others, but he does not mind that.

Gens

*_A gens de village, trompette de bois_ = Rough tools for rough
work.

Gésir

*_C’est là que gît le lièvre_ = That is the main point; There’s
the rub.

Gibier

_C’est un gibier de potence_ = He is a gallows-bird.

Gloire

“J’aime mieux, n’en déplaise à la gloire,
Vivre au monde deux jours que mille ans dans l’histoire.”
MOLIÈRE, _La Princesse d’Élide_, i. 2.

Contrast:

“One crowded hour of glorious life
Is worth an age without a name.”
Sir WALTER SCOTT, _Old Mortality_, Chap. 34.

Gond

_Cela me fait sortir des gonds_ = That exasperates (unhinges) me.

Gorge

_Cette fumée me prend à la gorge_ = That smoke makes me cough,
chokes me.

_Il cria à pleine gorge_ = He cried out as loud as he could.

_Il fera des gorges chaudes du malheur de sa tante_ = He will
chuckle over (_or_, make fun of) his aunt’s misfortune.

[“_Prétend qu’elle en fera gorge chaude et curée._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iv. 12.]

_Rendre gorge_ = To have to pay back money unjustly acquired; To
disgorge one’s ill-gotten gains.

Gourme

_Ce jeune homme jette sa gourme_ = That young man is sowing his
wild oats.

Goût

*_Des goûts et des couleurs il ne faut (pas) discuter_ =
There is no disputing about tastes.

*_À chacun son goût_ = Tastes differ.

[Colloquially the _à_ is omitted and the phrase becomes _chacun
son goût_. The Dictionnaire de l’Académie gives: _Chacun_ a _son
goût_.]

Goutte

_Je n’y vois goutte_ = I cannot see at all.

*_Goutte à goutte on emplit la cuve_ = Many a little makes a
mickle.

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

_C’est une goutte d’eau dans la mer_ = It is a drop in the ocean.

_Boire la goutte_ (fam.) = To have a drop; To take a nip.

_Payer la goutte_ (fam.) = To stand something to drink.

Grâce

_Faites-moi grâce de vos observations, je vous en prie_ = Pray
spare me your remarks.

Grain

_Veillez au grain_ = Keep a sharp look-out.

_Avoir un grain de folie_ = To be a little cracked.

Graine

_Ces plantes sont montées en graine_ = Those plants have run to
seed.

_C’est de la graine de niais_ = That is something to deceive
fools with.

Grand

*_Les grands sont les plus exposés aux coups du sort_ = High
winds blow on high hills.

_Faire quelque chose en grand_ = To do something on a large scale.

Grandeur

_Un buste de grandeur naturelle_ = A life-size bust.

Gré

*_Bon gré, mal gré_ = Whether you wish or not; Nolens volens;
Willy-nilly.

_Cette maison a été vendue de gré à gré_ = That house was sold by
private contract.

_Il le fera de gré ou de force_ = He will have to do it whether
he likes it or not.

_Il venait moitié de gré, moitié de force_ = He came somewhat
reluctantly.

_De son plein gré_ = Of his own accord.

_De plein gré_ = Voluntarily.

_Nous vous en saurons bon gré_ = We shall be obliged to you for
it.

_Je me sais bon gré de ne l’avoir pas fait_ = I am thankful I did
not do it.

Grelot

*_Attacher le grelot_ = To bell the cat.

[This phrase arises from the fable (LA FONTAINE, ii. 2) of
the rats who held a council as to how they might best defend
themselves from the cat. They resolved to hang a bell round his
neck, so that they might hear him coming and run away. But the
difficulty was to find a volunteer “to bell the cat.” In Scottish
history Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (1449-1514), was
called Bell-the-Cat. James III. used to make favourites of
architects and masons. The Scotch nobles held a council in the
Church of Lauder for the purpose of putting down these upstarts.
Lord Gray asked who would bell the cat. “That will I,” said
Douglas, and fearlessly he put the minions to death in the King’s
presence. Compare SCOTT, _Marmion_, v. 14. The Greek equivalent,
Ξυρεῖν λέοντα (= to shave the lion) occurs in Plato, Republic,
341 C. The refrain of Eustace Deschamps’ Ballade 58 is: “Qui
pendra la sonnette au chat?”]

Grenier

_Il va de la cave au grenier_ = 1. He rambles in his talk. 2. He
writes very unevenly (up and down).

Grippe

_Il m’a pris en grippe_ = He has taken a dislike to me.

Gris

_Il en a vu de grises_ = He had an unpleasant time of it.

_Il lui en a fait voir de grises_ = He plagued him terribly.

Grive

*_Faute de grives on mange des merles_ = Half a loaf is better
than no bread. (See _Aimer_.)

Gros

_Ils se sont dit de gros mots_ = They came to high words; They
insulted (slanged) one another.

_La servante fait le gros de la besogne_ (or, _la grosse
besogne_) = The servant does the heavy work.

_Il n’a qu’un gros bon sens_ = He has only plain common-sense.

_Vous avez touché la grosse corde_ = You have come to the main
point.

_Vendre en gros et en détail_ = To sell wholesale and retail.

Grue

_Il m’a fait faire le pied de grue pendant deux heures_ = He made
me wait two hours for him; I was dancing attendance on him for
two hours.

[“Faites vous sus un pied toute la nuict la grue?”
RÉGNIER, _Sat._ xi.]

Guerre

*_À la guerre comme à la guerre_ = One must take things as they
come; We must take the rough with the smooth.

_Je l’ai fait de guerre lasse_ = Weary of resistance I did it for
the sake of peace and quiet.

*_Qui terre a, guerre a_ = Much coin, much care; Much land, many
lawsuits.

[Voltaire’s variant was: “Qui plume a, guerre a.”]

_Ça, c’est de bonne guerre_ = He has only used fair means to
defend himself (_or_, attack you); He has acted within his
rights, you cannot complain.

Guide

_Mener la vie à grandes guides_ = (lit.) To drive life four in
hand; (fig.) To live a very fast life.

Guillot

*_Qui croit guiller Guillot, Guillot le guille_ =

“He that seeks others to beguile
Is oft overtaken in his wile.”

The biter bit.

[“For often he that will begyle
Is gyled with the same gyle,
And thus the gyler is begyled.”
GOWER, _Confessio Amantis_, 135.

“For ’tis the sport to have the enginer
Hoist with his own petar.”
_Hamlet_, iii. 4.]

Guise

_Il fait_ (or, _agit_) _toujours à sa guise_ = He always goes his
own way; He always acts according to his own sweet will.

H.

Habit

*_L’habit ne fait pas le moine_ = The cowl does not make the
friar; The coat does not make the gentleman.

_Prendre l’habit_ = To become a monk or a nun (of the latter, To
take the veil).

Habitué

_Ce monsieur est un de nos habitués_ = That gentleman is one of
our regular customers.

Hache

_Cela est fait à coups de hache_ (or, _serpe_) = That is done
clumsily, roughly.

Hacher

_Je les hacherais menu comme chair à pâté_ = I would make
mincemeat of them.

Haleine

_J’ai couru à perte d’haleine_ = I ran until I was out of breath.

_Ce sont des phrases à perte d’haleine_ = Those are very
long-winded sentences.

_Il faut tenir les gens en haleine_ = One must keep the ball
rolling.

_C’est un ouvrage de longue haleine_ = It’s a long job, a heavy
piece of work.

Halle

_Le langage des Halles_ = Billingsgate.

[Also: _des injures de carrefour_.]

Hallebarde

_Cela rime comme hallebarde et miséricorde_ = That does not rhyme
at all.

[The usual explanation of this expression is, that, on the death
of the verger of St. Eustache, one of his friends--a small
shopkeeper of the neighbourhood--wished to write an epitaph for
his tomb. Being entirely ignorant of the rules of verse, he
composed the following:--

“Ci-gît mon ami Mardoche
Il a voulu être enterré à Saint Eustache
Il y porta trente-deux ans la hallebarde
Dieu lui fasse miséricorde.”
(Par son ami, J. Cl. Bombet, 1727.)

But in reality the proverb is much older. It dates from the time
of the old versifiers, one of whose rules was that two consonants
followed by an _e_ mute were sufficient to form a feminine rhyme.
This led to abuses like the above, and this rule was superseded
by another, that the vowel preceding the two consonants must be
alike in both cases.]

Hanter

_Dis-moi qui tu hantes, je te dirai qui tu es_ = A man is known
by his company; Birds of a feather flock together.

Haro

_Crier haro sur quelqu’un_ = To raise an outcry against any one.

[“À ces mots on cria haro sur le baudet.”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vii. 1.

The origin of the word _haro_ is disputed; Littré quotes Diez,
who connects it with O.H.G. _hera_ = here. The old opinion was
that it was derived from _Ha-Raoul_, an appeal to Rollo, or
Hrolf, first Duke of Normandy, and a mighty lawgiver. However,
within living recollection the cry of _Ha-Ro! à l’aide, mon
Prince!_ was used in the Channel Islands as a protection against
force and fraud, when no other defence was possible. See a
curious tale in “The Gossiping Guide to Jersey,” by J. Bertrand
Payne, London, 1863, p. 15.]

Hasard

_Il corrige le hasard_ = He cheats at play.

[“La fortune est redevenue mauvaise, il faut la corriger.”
HAMILTON, _Mémoires de Grammont_, iii.]

Hâte

*_Trop de hâte gâte tout_ = The more haste, the less speed.

[Also: _Plus on se hâte, moins on avance_; _Hâtez-vous lentement_
(Lat. _Festina lente_); _Assez tôt si bien_; and the English
popular proverb, “Do nothing hastily save catching of fleas.”]

Hâter

*_Ouvrage hâté, ouvrage gâté_ = Haste makes waste.

Haut

_Tomber de son haut_ = (fig.) To be thunder-struck.

_Regarder de haut en bas_ = To treat contemptuously; To look down
upon with contempt.

_Il y a du haut et du bas dans la vie_ = Life has its ups and
downs.

_Haut le pied!_ = Be off!

Herbe

*_Mauvaise herbe croît toujours_ = Ill weeds grow apace.

_Votre rival vous coupera l’herbe sous le pied_ = Your rival will
cut you out, will take the wind out of your sails, will cut the
ground from under your feet.

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

_C’est un avocat en herbe_ = He is studying for the bar; He is a
sucking barrister.

Heure

_A l’heure qu’il est on ne le fait plus_ = Nowadays it is no
longer done.

_A l’heure qu’il est il doit savoir la nouvelle_ = By this time
no doubt he has heard the news.

_Faites-le sur l’heure_ = Do it this very minute.

_Je partirai tout à l’heure_ = I will start presently.

_Je l’ai vu tout à l’heure_ = I saw him just now, not long ago.

_A la bonne heure!_ = Well done!; That’s right!; Capital!; That
is something like!

_Le quart d’heure de Rabelais_ = The moment of payment (_or_,
suspense).

[On returning from Italy, Rabelais found himself in the south of
France with no more money to continue his journey to Paris. He
had dined well at an inn, and while waiting for his reckoning, he
packed up some dust in small packets which he labelled, “Poison
for the King,” “Poison for the Dauphin,” and so on. The innkeeper
noticing these packets and their terrible inscriptions, informed
the police, who took Rabelais to Paris free of charge to suffer
the penalty of treason. When he was brought before the King, the
monarch laughed heartily at the tale and let him go free.]

_Passer un mauvais quart d’heure_ = To have a bad time of it.

Histoire

_Voilà bien des histoires pour si peu de chose!_ = What a fuss
about nothing.

_Voilà bien une autre histoire!_ = That is quite another thing.

_Histoire_ (or, _Chansons_) _que tout cela!_ = That is all stuff
and nonsense.

_Le plus beau de l’histoire c’était qu’il n’en savait rien_ = The
best of the joke was he knew nothing about it.

_Histoire de rire_ = 1. For the fun of the thing. 2. It was only
a joke.

Hommage

_Hommage de l’auteur_ = With the author’s compliments.

Homme

*_L’homme propose et Dieu dispose_ = Man proposes, God disposes.

[Also: “_L’homme s’agite et Dieu le mène._”
FÉNELON, _Sermon pour la Fête de l’Épiphanie_, 1685.

“A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his
steps.”--PROVERBS xvi. 9.

“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough hew them how we will.”--_Hamlet_, v. 2.

German: Der Mensch denkt, Gott lenkt.]

*_Le style c’est l’homme_ = Style is the man himself; Like
author, like book.

[“Ces choses sont hors de l’homme, le style est l’homme
même.”--BUFFON, _Discours de Réception à l’Académie_, 1753.
There has been much discussion as to what Buffon really did
write, whether _le style est l’homme même_ or _le style est_ DE
_l’homme même_. In most editions after that of Didot (1843) the
latter form will be found, whilst in editions from 1800-1843 the
phrase is absent altogether. In the _Recueil de l’Académie_ it is
printed _le style est l’homme même_, and of this the proofs were
probably corrected by Buffon himself. There is a small pamphlet,
_Discours prononcé dans l’Académie française, par M. de Buffon,
le samedi 25 août 1753_, which is probably earlier still, in
which it is also printed thus. However this may be, the phrase
“le style c’est l’homme,” which Buffon assuredly did _not_ write,
has become a French proverb, and is in everyday use.]

Honneur

_Nous jouons pour l’honneur_ = We are playing for love.

*_Un homme d’honneur n’a que sa parole_ = An honest man’s word is
as good as his bond.

_Il fait honneur à ses affaires_ (comm.) = He meets all his
engagements.

_Il ne prétend à votre fille qu’en tout bien tout honneur_ = He
has honourable intentions towards your daughter.

Honte

_Nous lui avons fait honte_ = 1. We caused him to feel ashamed of
himself. 2. He was ashamed of us.

Honteux

*_Jamais honteux n’eut belle amie_ = Faint heart never won fair
lady.

*_Il n’y a que les honteux qui perdent_ = Nothing ask, nothing
have.

Hors

_Hors ligne_ = Standing out from the rest; Out of the common run;
Beyond comparison; Incomparable.

_Ce peintre est hors concours_ = That artist is no longer a
competitor (having already received the highest award).

Hôte

*_Qui compte sans son hôte compte deux fois_ = He who reckons
without his host must reckon again.

Huile

_Sentir l’huile_ = To smell of the lamp (of poetry, etc.).

_Il tirerait de l’huile d’un mur_ = He would skin a flint, get
blood from a stone. (See _Cheveux_ and _Œuf_.)

[Aquam a pumice postulare.--PLAUTUS.]

_De l’huile de bras_ = Elbow grease.

Huis

_A huis clos_ = With closed doors; in camera.