Chapter M: Mâcher (1)

_Je ne lui ai pas mâché la chose_ = I did not mince matters with
him.

_Je lui ai donné sa besogne toute mâchée_ = I gave him his work
all ready cut out; I made his work as easy as possible for him.

Madame

_Elle fait la Madame_ = She gives herself airs (of little girls).

Mai

_Mi-mai, queue d’hiver_ = The middle of May has usually three
cold days (called _Les saints de glace_, May 11, 12, and 13).

Maigre

_Faire maigre_ = To abstain from meat.

_Faire maigre chère_ = To have poor fare.

_Maigre comme un clou_ = As thin as a lath.

Maille

_Il n’a ni sou ni maille_ = He has not got a rap, a brass
farthing.

_Avoir maille à partir avec quelqu’un_ = To have a bone to pick
(a crow to pluck) with some one.

[_Maille_ (= mite) was the smallest coin in France, and therefore
could not be divided. Hence the saying means to have a quarrel
with some one. Notice the old meaning of _partir_ in this idiom =
to divide (Lat. _partiri_).]

_Maille à maille se fait l’haubergeon_ = Many a little makes a
mickle. (See _Goutte_ and _Petit_.)

Main

_Donnez-moi une poignée de main_ = Shake hands with me.

_Donnez-moi un coup de main_ = Give me a helping hand.

_Vous n’y allez pas de main morte_ = You hit with a vengeance;
You don’t do things by halves.

_Avoir un poil dans la main_ = To be very lazy (so that hair
grows on the palm of the hand).

_Avoir la main heureuse_ = To be lucky at cards (or, at other
things).

_Avoir la main rompue à quelque chose_ = To be well versed at
something.

_Je le connais de longue main_ = I have known him for a long time.

_Il disparut en un tour de main_ = He disappeared in an instant,
in a twinkling.

_Il a une chambre grande comme la main_ = He has a room not big
enough to swing a cat in.

_En venir aux mains_ = To come to blows.

_Bas les mains_ = Hands off.

_Les deux armées en sont aux mains_ = The two armies are in close
combat, have come to close quarters.

_Je me perds la main_ = I am getting rusty.

_Je tirais au pistolet pour me faire la main_ = I practised
pistol-shooting to get my hand in.

_Il y a mis la dernière main_ = He put the finishing touch to it.

_Il a fait cela haut la main_ = He did it with the greatest ease.

_Mettre la main à la pâte_ = To put one’s shoulder to the wheel;
To set to (a special piece of) work oneself.

_Les voleurs firent main basse sur tous mes effets_ = The thieves
laid hands on all my things.

_Pour cela je vous baise les mains_ = As for that I will not do
it; “No, thank you!”

_J’en mettrais la main au feu_ = I would swear to it; I would
stake my life on it; I would take my dying oath about it.

[A reference to trial by ordeal.]

Mais

_Je n’en peux mais!_ = I cannot help it!

[_Mais_ is here an adverb, and shows its derivation from the
Latin _magis_. The phrase literally means: “I can do no more.”]

Maison

_Faire maison neuve_ (or, _nette_) = To change all one’s servants.

_Il fait des demandes par dessus les maisons_ = He makes most
unreasonable demands.

Maître

*_Tel maître, tel valet_ = Like master, like man.

[Or: _Tel couteau, tel fourreau._

German: _Wie der Herr, so der Knecht._]

_C’est une maîtresse femme_ = She is a superior woman.

[One who manages her business or subordinates capably, makes her
servants obey her and do their work well, and is respected by
them.]

Mal

*_À qui mal veut, mal arrive_ = Harm watch, harm catch; Curses,
like chickens, come home to roost.

[This proverb is said to be of Turkish origin. The Spanish
equivalent is: “Who sows thorns, let him not walk barefoot.”
Comp. _Psalms_ cix. 17.]

_J’ai mal au cœur_ = I feel sick.

_Vous prenez tout en mal_ = You put a wrong construction on
everything.

_Elle s’est trouvée mal_ = She fainted.

_Elle est au plus mal_ = She is past recovery.

_Sa sœur aînée n’est pas mal_ = Her elder sister is not
bad-looking.

*_Aux grands maux les grands remèdes_ = Desperate diseases
require desperate remedies.

Malheur

*_À quelque chose malheur est bon_ = It is an ill wind that blows
no one any good.

[“À quelque chose sert le malheur.”
MONTAIGNE, _Essais_, ii. 17.]

_Pour surcroît_ (or, _comble_) _de malheur il tomba malade_ = To
crown his misfortunes he fell ill.

*_Un malheur ne vient jamais seul_ = Misfortunes never come
singly; It never rains but it pours.

[Ital. _Benedetto è quel male, che vien solo_ = Blessed is that
misfortune which comes alone.]

_Il n’est qu’heur et malheur_ = That’s the way of the world.

Manant

_C’est un manant_ = He is a coarse, ill-educated boor.

[From _manens_ = one remaining fixed to the soil, a villein,
serf.]

Manche (_m._)

_Il branle dans le manche_ (or, _au manche_) = He is no longer
firmly established in his post; He is irresolute.

*_Jeter le manche après la cognée_ = To throw the rope after the
bucket; To give up in despair.

Manche (_f._)

_Je ne me ferai pas tirer par la manche_ = I shall not require
much pressing.

_C’est une autre paire de manches_ = That is quite another thing;
That is a horse of another colour, another pair of shoes.

_J’ai gagné la première manche_ = I won the first game (out of
two or more).

_Je l’ai dans ma manche_ = I have him at my disposal.

Manger

_Il mange comme quatre_ = He eats like an ogre.

_Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier_ = He had the happiest part
of his life first. (See _Pain_.)

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

_Il a mangé de la vache enragée_ = He has suffered many
privations.

_Il est très inquiet, il en perd le boire et le manger_ = He is
very anxious, he has lost his appetite.

Manière

_Je l’ai rossé de la belle manière_ (fam.) = I gave him a sound
thrashing.

Manquer

_Vous me manquez_ = I miss you.

_Je vous manque_ = You miss me.

_Il a manqué d’être pris_ = He was nearly caught.

_C’est un avocat manqué_ = He is a would-be barrister; He is a
failure as a barrister.

_C’est un garçon manqué_ = She is a tomboy.

_Ce serait manquer d’usage_ = That would be a breach of good
manners.

_Il ne manquait plus que cela!_ = That crowns all! That is the
last straw!

Marchand

_C’est un marchand de soupe_ = He is a regular Squeers.

[This is said of a private schoolmaster who, far from regarding
his profession as an honourable one, follows it solely with a
view to profit, by having few and inferior assistants and by
feeding his pupils cheaply and badly (thus making a profit on the
_soup_). He looks upon teaching as the least important part of
his work. Of course, this race of men is now entirely extinct.]

Marché

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

_Il m’a mis le marché à la main_ = He told me I could take it or
leave it; He made me decide one way or the other.

_Est-ce marché fait?_ = Is it a bargain?

_Vous en êtes quitte à bon marché_ = You came off cheaply.

_Vous aurez bon marché de lui_ = You will easily get the better
of him.

_Je fais bon marché de cela_ = I hold that very cheap.

_On n’a jamais bon marché d’une mauvaise marchandise_ = A bad
thing is dear at any price; The best is the cheapest in the end.

Marée

*_Ce qui vient de flot s’en retourne de marée_ = Fortune is as
quick in going as in coming. (See _Flûte_.)

Mariée

_Il se plaint que la mariée est trop belle_ = He complains that
he has got too good a bargain.

Marmite

_Faire bouillir la marmite_ = To keep the pot boiling.

Marotte

_Chacun a sa marotte_ = Every one has his hobby.

[Marotte is a kind of sceptre or rattle with a head on the end,
furnished with bells, which jesters carry.]

Mars

*_Mars venteux et Avril pluvieux
Font le Mai gai et gracieux_ =
March winds and April showers
Make way for May flowers.

Marteau

*_Mieux vaut être marteau qu’enclume_ = Better be striker than
struck.

_Être entre l’enclume et le marteau_ = To be in a dilemma; To be
between the devil and the deep sea.

_Graisser le marteau_ = To tip the porter.

[There is the same idea in “Palm oil.”]

Martel

_Il s’est mis martel en tête_ = He made himself very uneasy.

Massacrer

_Il est d’une humeur massacrante_ = He is as cross as two sticks.

Matière

_Il est bien enfoncé dans la matière_ = He is very coarse, very
prosaic.

_La table des matières_ = The table of contents (of a book).

Matin

_Il partira un de ces quatre matins_ = He will start one of these
fine days.

Maure

_Traiter quelqu’un de Turc à Maure_ = To treat a person brutally.

[As the Turks treated the Moors when they conquered the north of
Africa. See MOLIÈRE, _Précieuses Ridicules_, 10.]

*_À laver la tête d’un Maure_ (or, _d’un âne_, or, _d’un nègre_)
_on y perd sa lessive_ = To endeavour to teach a fool is a waste
of time.

Mèche

_Il a éventé_ (or, _vendu_) _la mèche_ = He has let the cat out
of the bag; He has blown the gaff.

_Il n’y a pas mèche_ (pop.) = “It’s no go”; There is no doing it.

Médaille

_C’est le revers de la médaille_ = That is the dark side of the
picture.

Médard

_S’il pleut le jour de St. Médard,
Il pleut quarante jours plus tard.
S’il pleut le jour de St. Gervais,
Il pleut quarante jours après_ =
“St Swithin’s day, gif ye do rain
For forty days will it remain.”

[Le jour de St. Médard = June 8.
Le jour de St. Gervais = June 19.
St. Swithin’s Day = July 15.]

Médecin

_Voilà trois médecins qui ne vous trompent pas:
Gaîté, doux exercice et modeste repas_ =
The best physicians are Dr. Diet,
Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merriman.

Méfiance

*_La méfiance est mère de la sûreté_ = Safe bind, safe find.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iii. 18.]

Même

_Il buvait à même la bouteille_ = He was drinking out of the
bottle itself.

[This is an inversion for _à la bouteille même_. _Boire à même_
is not usually used of cups or glasses, but of bottles, jugs,
streams, etc. For it implies that the containing vessel itself
is being used to drink out of, and not any smaller vessel. Thus
_boire à même le verre_ would suggest that a spoon or smaller
receptacle was not used.]

_Il est à même de vous comprendre_ = He is able to understand you.

_Cela revient au même_ = That comes to the same thing.

_C’est cela même_ = That is the very thing.

_Faites de même_ = Do the same.

Ménage

_Ils font bon ménage_ = They live happily together.

_Elle fait le ménage_ = She is doing her housework.

Ménager

*_Qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture_ = Who wishes to go far
spares his horse; He who wishes to live long avoids excess.
[RACINE, _Plaideurs_, i. 1.]

Mentir

*_A beau mentir gui vient de loin_ = A traveller may lie with
impunity; Travellers tell fine tales.

_Quasi et presque empêchent les gens de mentir_ = Almost and very
nigh save many a lie.

Méprendre

_Québec, c’est Saint-Malo à s’y méprendre_ (Max O’Rell) = You
could easily mistake Quebec for St. Malo.

Mer

*_Ce n’est pas la mer à boire_ = It is not an impossibility; It
is not so very difficult after all.

*_Porter de l’eau à la mer_ = To carry coals to Newcastle.

Mérite

_Remplir son mérite_ = To act up to one’s reputation.

Merle

*_On ne prend pas les vieux merles à la pipée_ = Old birds are
not to be caught with chaff.

Merveille

_Il se porte à merveille_ = He is in splendid health.

Messe

*_Près du moûtier, à messe le dernier_ = The nearer the church,
the farther from God.

Métier

_Il nous a servi un plat de son métier_ (or, _de sa façon_) = He
played us one of his tricks.

*“_À chacun son métier et les vaches seront bien gardées_”
(FLORIAN, _Fables_, i. 12) = Let the cobbler stick to his last.

[“Ne sutor ultra crepidam” (judicet).]

Mettre

_Mettez cent francs_ = Make it £4.

_Il se mettrait en quatre pour ses amis_ = He would do anything
for his friends.

_Il se met bien_ = He dresses well.

_On veut nous mettre dedans_ (fam.) = They want to entrap us, to
take us in.

Midi

_Chercher midi à quatorze heures_ = To make (_or_, seek)
difficulties where there are none; To look for grapes on thorns.

[This expression has its origin in the old custom, still in
use in some parts of Italy, of reckoning the hours of the day
consecutively from 1 to 24, beginning at sunset. Hence, noon
may vary from the 16th to the 20th hour, but is never the 14th.
Voltaire’s epigram for a sun-dial is very well known, but may
bear repetition:--

“Vous qui vivez dans ces demeures,
Êtes-vous bien? tenez-vous y,
Et n’allez pas chercher midi
À quatorze heures.”]

_Chacun connaît midi à sa porte_ = Each one knows his own
business best.

Mien

_J’y ai mis du mien, mettez-y du vôtre_ = I have given way a bit,
meet me half-way; I have done my share at it, now it’s your turn.

Mieux

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

_Ils criaient à qui mieux mieux_ = Each was trying to shout
louder than the other; Each tried to drown the others’ voices.

_Je ne demande pas mieux_ = Nothing would give me greater
pleasure.

_Elle est mieux que sa sœur_ = She is prettier than her sister.

_Faute de mieux_ = For want of something better.

_Tant mieux_ = So much the better.

_Il est au mieux avec son médecin_ = He is on the best terms with
his doctor.

_On ne peut mieux_ = As well as possible; It could not be better.

_Vous arrivez on ne peut mieux_ = You could not have come at a
more opportune moment.

Milieu

_Le juste milieu_ = The golden mean.

_Au beau milieu_ = In the very midst.

_Vertu gît au milieu_ = Do not rush into extremes.

[In medio tutissimus ibis = _Allez par le milieu et vous ne
tomberez pas._ Compare the English: When slovenly girls get tidy,
they polish the bottoms of saucepans.]

Mine

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

_If fait mine de ne pas comprendre_ = He pretends not to
understand.

_Il nous a fait mauvaise_ (or, _grise_) _mine_ = He looked black
(sour) at us; He did not receive us well.

_Cet homme a très mauvaise mine_ = 1. That man looks a regular
ruffian. 2. That man looks very ill.

_Il ne paye pas de mine_ = His appearance is against him.

_Ne jugez pas sur la mine_ = Do not judge by appearances.

[“_Garde-toi, tant que tu vivras,
De juger des gens sur la mine._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vi. 5.]

_Elle fait la mine_ = She is sulking.

Mode

_Elle est ma tante à la mode de Bretagne_ = She is my father’s
(_or_, mother’s) first cousin; She is my first cousin once
removed.

_Elle est ma nièce à la mode de Bretagne_ = She is the daughter
of my first cousin.

[These phrases are used of any very distant relationship.]

Moindre

_C’est là son moindre défaut_ = That is not a great weakness of
hers (_or_, his); That is the last thing you can reproach her
(_or_, him) with.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, i. 1.]

Moineau

_Deux moineaux sur même épi ne sont pas longtemps amis_ = Two of
a trade seldom agree.

[“Καὶ κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει και τέκτονι τέκτων
Καὶ πτωχὸς πτωχῷ φθονέει καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀοιδῶ.”
HESIOD, _Opera et dies_, 25.]

_Il tire sa poudre aux moineaux_ = He wastes his trouble for
nothing.

Mois

_Tous les 36 du mois_ = Once in a blue moon.

Monde

_C’est vieux comme le monde_ = It is as old as the hills.

_Vous dites des choses de l’autre monde_ = You say most
out-of-the-way things.

_Il y a un monde fou_ = There is a terrible crowd. (See _Fou_.)

_Vous moquez-vous du monde de parler ainsi?_ = Are you making fun
of people (are you serious) in speaking thus? Do you take people
for a pack of fools?

_Si vous obtenez cinq francs, c’est le bout du monde_ = If you
get five francs, it is the utmost; You will get five francs at
the very outside.

_Si elle a trente ans c’est tout le bout du monde_ = She may be
thirty at the very outside.

_On ne peut contenter tout le monde et son père_ = One cannot
satisfy everybody, all the world and his wife.

[“Parbleu, dit le meunier, est bien fou du cerveau
Qui prétend contenter tout le monde et son père.”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iii. 1.]

Monnaie

_Il lui a rendu la monnaie de sa pièce_ = He paid him back in his
own coin.

Mont

_Par monts et par vaux_ = Up hill and down dale.

Montée

_À grande montée grande descente_ = The higher the rise, the
greater the fall; He who climbs too high is near a fall.

[“Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself.”
SHAKESPEARE, _Macbeth_, i. 7.

Also: _La Roche Tarpéienne est près du Capitole._]

Montrer

_Montrer le soleil avec un flambeau_ = To paint the lily; To hold
a farthing rushlight to the sun.

Mordre

_Se mordre les doigts_ = To repent what one has done.

_Se mordre la langue_ = To repent what one has said.

Mort

_Il est mort de sa belle mort_ = He died a natural death.

_Il est à l’article de la mort_ = He is at the point of death, at
death’s door.

_Quand on compte sur les souliers d’un mort on risque de marcher
pieds nus_ = It’s an ill thing to wait for dead men’s shoes; He
pulls with a long rope that waits for another’s death.

[Also: _Qui s’attend à l’écuelle d’autrui risque fort de mal
dîner._]

_Avoir la mort dans l’âme_ = To be grieved to death; To be
overwhelmed with grief.

Morveux

*_Qui se sent morveux se mouche_ (pop.) = If the cap fits, wear
it. (See _Galeux_.)

Mot

_Ils en sont venus aux gros mots_ = They came to high words.

*_Qui ne dit mot consent_ = Silence gives consent.

_Il a toujours le mot pour rire_ = He is ever ready with a joke;
He is full of fun.

_Il a 40,000 francs de rente au bas mot_ = He has £1600 a year at
the very least.

*_À bon entendeur demi-mot suffit_ (or, _salut_) = A word to the
wise is enough; _Verbum sap._

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

_Ils se sont donné le mot_ = They have passed the word round;
They have agreed before-hand what to say.

_Tranchons le mot_ = In plain English; Not to mince matters; To
put it plainly.

_C’est mon dernier mot_ = That is the last concession I can make;
I will not take less.

_Il sait le fin mot de tout cela_ = He understands the upshot of
all this.

_Ne soufflez pas mot!_ = Do not breathe a word!

_En deux mots_ = To cut a long story short.

_Des mots longs d’une toise_ = Words as long as your arm.
[RACINE, _Plaideurs_, i. 1.]

_Je ne mâche pas mes mots_ = I don’t mince matters; I call a
spade a spade.

Mouche

_Les grosses mouches passent à travers la toile de la justice,
mais les petites y sont prises_ = One man may steal a horse,
while another dare not look over the hedge; Justice will whip a
beggar, but bow to a lord; One does the scath, another has the
harm; The crow gets pardoned, and the dove has the blame.

[“_Où la guêpe a passé, le moucheron demeure._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, ii. 16.

“Quidquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi.”
HOR., _Ep._, i. 2.

Italian: Un fa il peccato, l’altro la penitenza.]

*_Vous faites d’une mouche un éléphant_ = You make a mountain out
of a molehill.

[“Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.”
HORACE, _Ars Poetica_.]

_Quelle mouche vous pique?_ = What irritates you? What whim have
you got into your head?

_Il a pris la mouche_ = He is in a huff; He got offended.

*_On prend plus de mouches avec du miel qu’avec du vinaigre_ =
More is done by kindness than by harshness.

_C’est une fine mouche_ = He is a sly dog, a deep one.

_C’est la mouche du coche_ = He is a regular busybody; The worst
wheel makes the most noise. (See _Coche_ and _Bruit_.)

_Faire mouche_ = To hit the bull’s eye.

Moudre

_Il viendra moudre à notre moulin_ = He will be in want of us
some day.

Moulin

_C’est un vrai moulin à paroles_ = She is a regular chatterbox;
He is a regular windbag.

Moutarde

_Il m’a fait monter la moutarde au nez_ = He irritated me; He
made me lose my temper.

_C’est de la moutarde après dîner_ = It comes too late to be of
any use; It is a day after the fair.

[“Depugnato proelio venire.”--PLAUTUS, _Menaechmi_, v. 6, 30.

“Κατόπιν τῆς ἑορτῆς ἥκεις” = You have come after the
feast.--PLATO, _Gorgias_.]

Moutardier

_Il se croit le premier moutardier du pape_ = He thinks no small
beer of himself.

Mouton

*_Revenons à nos moutons_ = But to return to our subject.

[From an old farce of the fifteenth century, _Maistre Pierre
Pathelin_, verse 1191, attributed without foundation to Pierre
Blanchet. M. F. Génin in his edition (1854) gives 1460 as the
date, and Antoine de la Sale as the author. It was adapted
in 1706 by Brueys and Palaprat, under the title of _L’Avocat
Patelin_. See also RÉGNIER, _Sat._, ii.]

Moyen

_Il n’y a pas moyen_ = It cannot be done.

_Il fait valoir ses moyens_ = 1. He makes the best of his
talents. 2. He boasts of his talents.

_Cet enfant a peu de moyens_ = That child is not clever.

Mur

_Je l’ai mis au pied du mur_ = I drove him into a corner; I made
him decide one way or the other.

Muraille

*_Muraille blanche, papier de fou_ = Fools write their names on
walls.

[Late Latin: Stultorum calami, carbones mœnia chartae.]

Musique

_Il est réglé comme un papier de musique_ = He is as regular as
clockwork.

N.

Nage

_Je suis tout en nage_ = I am in a thorough perspiration; I have
not a dry thread on me.

Navette

_Faire la navette_ = To go to and fro between two places several
times.

Nèfle

_Avoir quelque chose pour des nèfles_ (fam.) = To buy something
for a mere song.

Nerf

_Vous me donnez sur les nerfs_ = You get on my nerves; You rile
me (fam.).

Net

_Mettez cela au net_ = Make a fair copy of that.

_Il a les mains nettes_ (fig.) = He is honest; His hands are
clean.

_Refuser net_ = To refuse point-blank.

Nez

_Il a un pied de nez_ (fam.) = He pulls a long face, looks
foolish.

[Also: _Il fait un nez._]

_Il a fait un pied de nez_ (fam.) = He put his fingers to his
nose; “He cut a snook.”

_Ce coup l’a fait saigner du nez_ = That blow made his nose bleed.

_Il a saigné du nez_ = (lit.) His nose bled; (fig.) His heart
failed him.

_A vue de nez_ = By rule of thumb.

_Il veut toujours fourrer son nez partout_ (fam.) = He wants to
have his finger in every pie. (See _Fourrer_.)

_On voulait lui tirer les vers du nez_ = They wished to pump him.

_Vous vous y casserez le nez_ = 1. You will fall on your face. 2.
You will knock up against something. 3. You will fail in that.

_Porter le nez au vent_ = To stare about aimlessly.

_Il me regarda sous le nez_ = He stared me in the face.

_Il me l’a jeté au nez_ = He cast it in my teeth.

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

_Qui coupe son nez dégarnit son visage_ = It is an ill bird that
fouls its own nest; He who cuts off his nose spites his own face.

[Also: _S’arracher le nez pour faire dépit à son visage._]

_Il me ferma la porte au nez_ = He shut the door in my face.

_Il lui en pend autant au nez_ = He may expect as much (something
unpleasant); He will fare no better.

Nid

_On n’a plus trouvé que le nid_ = They found the birds flown.

Nitouche

_Elle fait la sainte Nitouche_ = She plays the innocent; She
looks as if butter would not melt in her mouth; She looks very
demure.

[_Sainte Nitouche_ is derived from _sainte n’y touche_, shortened
from _une sainte qui n’y touche pas_. See _Toucher_.]

Noce

_Je n’ai jamais été à pareille noce_ (or, _fête_) = I never had
such a time of it.

_Il a fait la noce toute la semaine_ = He has had a high old time
of it all the week; He has been on the spree all the week.

[Literally, to enjoy oneself as if one were _a guest at a
wedding_, where there is plenty of merriment, food, and drink.]

_Je ne suis pas à la noce_ = I am not enjoying myself at all.

Noël

*_Tant crie l’on Noël qu’il vient_ (Villon) = Long looked for
comes at last; That is coming--like Christmas.

_Quand Noël est vert, les Pâques seront blanches_ = When the
winter is mild, the spring will be wintry.

Noir

_Voir tout en noir_ = To look on the black side of things; To
have the blues.

[Opposite to: _voir tout en rose_, or, _voir tout couleur de
rose_.]

_Broyer du noir_ = To have the blues; To feel very sad.

Nom

_Nom d’un petit bonhomme!_ (fam.) = By Jingo!

_Voilà un nom à coucher dehors (avec un billet de logement
dans la poche)_ = That’s a name too ugly for words; That’s an
outlandish name if you like.

Nombre

_Tout fait nombre_ = Every little helps.

Normand

_C’est répondre en Normand_ = That is an evasive answer.

Nourrice

_Elle dit qu’elle a vingt ans._--_Et les mois de nourrice!_ (fam.)
= She says she is twenty.--And the rest!

Nouvelle

_Goûtez-moi ce vin; vous m’en direz des nouvelles_ (fam.) = You
just taste this wine, you don’t get wine like that every day;
What do you think of that for wine, my boy?

Nue

_Tomber des nues_ = To be astounded.

Nuire

*_Ce qui nuit à l’un sert à l’autre_ = What is one man’s meat is
another man’s poison.

Nuit

*_La nuit porte conseil_ = Time will show a plan; Sleep upon it;
Seek advice of your pillow.

O.

Œil

_Se fourrer le doigt dans l’œil_ (pop.) = To deceive oneself
blindly.

[Sometimes _jusqu’au coude_ is added.]

_Il a les yeux au beurre noir_ (pop.) = He has a couple of black
eyes; He has his eyes in mourning.

[Also: _Il à les yeux pochés._]

_Je ne vois pas cela d’un bon œil_ = I do not look favourably
upon that.

_Cela saute aux yeux_ = That is evident, obvious; It is as clear
as noonday.

_Je l’ai regardé entre les deux yeux_ = I looked him straight in
the face; I stared at him.

_Entrer à l’œil dans un théâtre_ (fam.) = To get into a theatre
on the nod (_i.e._ gratis).

_Avoir le compas dans l’œil_ = To have a good eye for distances.

_Elle a des yeux à la perdition de son âme_ = Her eyes are so
lovely that they will be her ruin.

_Vous ne voyez point votre chapeau? Mais il vous crève les yeux!_
= You do not see your hat? Why, it stares you in the face! (it’s
just under your nose).

_La lumière me tire les yeux_ = The light hurts my eyes.

_Il ne le fera pas pour vos beaux yeux_ = He will not do it for
you for nothing.

_Nous convînmes de cela entre quatre yeux_ = We agreed to that
between ourselves.

_Je m’en bats l’œil_ (pop.) = I don’t care a straw for it.

_Il a les yeux battus_ = He has a tired look about his eyes.

_Il a les yeux cernés_ = He has dark circles round his eyes.

_Des yeux à fleur de tête_ = Goggle eyes. (See _Fleur_.)

_Ouvrez l’œil, et le bon!_ (fam.) = Look out!

_Cela lui a tapé dans l’œil_ (pop.) = That took his fancy; He was
much struck by that.

Œuf

*_Donner un œuf pour avoir un bœuf_ = To give a sprat to catch a
herring (_or_, mackerel).

[Also: _Supporter peu pour avoir tout_.]

*_Faire d’un œuf un bœuf_ = To make a mountain out of a molehill.

_Il tondrait sur un œuf_ = He would skin a flint. (See _Huile_
and _Cheveux_.)

Œuvre

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

_Mettez la main à l’œuvre_ = Put your shoulder to the wheel.

*_À l’œuvre on connaît l’artisan_ = A carpenter is known by his
chips; The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, i. 21, _Les frelons et la mouche à miel_.]

Oindre

*_Oignez vilain, il vous poindra:
Poignez vilain, il vous oindra._

[An old saying used by the French nobles during the middle
ages, and found in a collection of proverbs of the thirteenth
century.--_Rab._, i, 21. The Duc de Bourbon, in speaking before
the États-Généraux in 1484, said: “Je connais le caractère des
vilains. S’ils ne sont opprimés, il faut qu’ils oppriment.”

Comp. “Tender-handed stroke a nettle,
And it stings you for your pains;
Grasp it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains.”
--AARON HILL, _Verses written on a window in Scotland_.]

Oiseau

_Il a battu les buissons, un autre a pris l’oiseau_ = He did the
work and another had the profit.

[Donatus in his “Life of Virgil” quotes the famous line: “Sic vos
non vobis nidificatis aves.” Hesiod says of drones: “ἀλλότριον
κάματον σφετέρην ἑς γαστερ᾽ ἀμῶνται = Into their own bellies they
scrape together the labour of others.” The Talmud says: “One says
grace and another eats”; the New Testament: “One soweth, another
reapeth.” Henry V. is reported to have said: “Shall I beat the
bush and another take the bird?” when it was proposed to him to
give up the Duke of Orleans to the Burgundians.]

*_À tout oiseau son nid est beau_ = Home is home, be it ever so
homely. (See _Chez_.)

“_Aux petits des oiseaux il donne leur pâture_” = He that sends
mouths sends meat.
[RACINE, _Athalie_, ii. 7.]

_À vue d’oiseau_ = A bird’s-eye view.

_À vol d’oiseau_ = As the crow flies.

Oisiveté

*“_L’oisiveté est la mère de tous les vices_” = “For Satan finds
some mischief still for idle hands to do.”--WATTS, _Divine
Songs_, xx. (See _Fille_.)

[COLLÉ, _La Partie de Chasse de Henri IV._, iii. 1. Also:
_Négligence mène déchéance_ = Idle men tempt the devil.]

On

On _est un sot_ = “They-say-so” is half a liar.

[Note that there is no liaison after _On_ here.]

Ongle

_Il a de l’esprit jusqu’au bout des ongles_ = He is witty to the
tips of his fingers; He is extremely witty.

_Il a bec et ongles_ = He will fight with beak and claw, tooth
and nail.

Onguent

*_Dans les petites boîtes les bons onguents_ = Small parcels hold
fine wares. (See _Aune_.)

Opiner

_Il opine du bonnet_ = He agrees with the previous speakers
without saying a word.

[From the custom of judges who agreed with the decision of a
brother judge, taking off their caps and saying nothing. It is
also said of a subordinate who always agrees with his superior.]

Oreille

_Il se fera tirer l’oreille_ = He will require pressing.

_Il se retira l’oreille basse_ = He went away crestfallen.

_J’ai les oreilles rebattues de cela_ = I am tired of hearing
that.

_Il dort sur les deux oreilles_ = (lit.) He sleeps soundly;
(fig.) His mind is quite easy.

_Il n’écoute que d’une oreille_ = He pays very little attention
to what is being said.

_Ne venez pas ainsi me corner aux oreilles_ = Do not come and din
it into my ears in that way.

_Il fait la sourde oreille_ = He turns a deaf ear; He pretends
not to hear.

_Je n’entends pas de cette oreille-là_ = I will not listen to
that.

_Par dessus les oreilles_ = Over head and ears.

_Autant lui en pend à l’oreille_ = He may expect the same
(something unpleasant). (Compare _Nez_.)

_Les oreilles ont dû vous corner (tinter)_ = Your ears must
have burned.

_Je lui frotterai les oreilles_ = I will twist his tail for him.

Orfèvre

*“_Vous êtes orfèvre, Monsieur Josse!_” = That is a bit of
special pleading; That is not disinterested advice; There’s
nothing like leather!

[MOLIÈRE, _L’Amour Médecin_, i. 1. This quotation refers to
Sganarelle’s daughter who suffers from an incurable lowness of
spirits. All his neighbours give him advice as to how to cure
her; among them, Monsieur Josse, a jeweller, suggests that a fine
necklace of diamonds or rubies would undoubtedly cure her. The
father, distracted though he be, is not so far gone as not to see
through this remark, and he replies in the words that have since
become proverbial.]

Orgueil

*_Il n’est orgueil que de sot enrichi_ = Set a beggar on
horseback, he’ll ride to the devil.

Orme

*_Attendez-moi sous l’orme_ = You may wait for me till doomsday.

Ortie

_Rabelais jeta le froc aux orties_ = Rabelais was an unfrocked
priest.

Ôter

_Ôte-toi de là que je m’y mette_ = You get out and let me get in.

[Origin unknown; probably le Vicomte de Ségur first used it.
Comp. Sancho Panza, “Imitando al juego de los muchachos que dicen
‘Salta tu y dámela tu’ doy un salto del gobierno.”]

Oublier

_Oublions le passé_ = Let bygones be bygones.

Ours

_C’est un ours mal léché_ = He is an ill-licked cub; He is an
ill-bred [_or_, ill-shapen] fellow.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, xi. 7.]

_C’est le pavé de l’ours_ = Save me from my friends.

[“Rien n’est si dangereux qu’un ignorant ami
Mieux vaudrait un sage ennemi.”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, viii. 10.

An old gardener, feeling lonely, had adopted a bear as a
companion. One day, when his master was asleep, he sees a fly on
his face; he tries to drive it away, but it declines to move, so
he takes up a huge paving-stone and kills the fly--and his master
too.]

Ouvrier

*_Mauvais ouvrier n’a jamais bons outils_ = A bad workman always
blames his tools.

Ouvrir

_Il traduit à livre ouvert_ = He translates at sight.

P.

Paille

_Tout y va, la paille et le blé_ = He spends all he has.

_Il mourra sur la paille_ = He will die in the gutter.

_Il est sur la paille_ = He is exceedingly poor.

_Tirons à la courte paille_ = Let us draw lots.

*_Cela enlève la paille_ = “That takes the cake.”

[The French is hardly as popular an expression as the English,
which might be rendered in French by _décrocher la timbale_.
Quitard derives _paille_ from _paîle_, a kind of rich cloth given
as a prize in athletic contests. Littré imagines it originated
with amber, which has the property of raising light objects, such
as straw. Madame de Sévigné writes (13th Jan. 1672): “Racine a
fait une comédie qui s’appelle Bajazet et qui enlève la paille.”
The English expression is said to come from the custom of
negroes, when giving a ball, to provide a cake to be given to the
best-dressed couple. The competitors walk round and are judged by
the other guests. Hence the term cake-walk.]

Pain

_Cet homme est bon comme le pain_ = That man is goodness itself.

_Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier_ = He had the best of his
life first; His happiest days are over.

[In many parts of the Continent white bread is not the matter of
course that it is in England; brown or black bread is the usual
fare of the poorer classes.]

*_Tel grain, tel pain_ = What you sow, you must mow.

_On lui a fait passer le goût du pain_ (fam.) = They killed him.

_C’est pain bénit_ = It serves you (him, her, them) right.

_Il a du pain sur la planche_ = He has saved money; He has enough
to live upon; He has put something by for a rainy day; There is
plenty of work for him to do.

*_De tout s’avise à qui pain faut (manque)_ = Necessity is the
mother of invention.

*_Pain tant qu’il dure, vin à mesure_ = Eat at pleasure, drink by
measure.

*_Il ne vaut pas le pain qu’il mange_ = He is not worth his salt.

_Il sait son pain manger_ = He knows on which side his bread is
buttered.

*_C’est un long jour qu’un jour sans pain_ = ’Tis a long lane
that has no turning.

*_Pain dérobé réveille appétit_ = Stolen joys are sweet.

[“_Pain qu’on dérobe et qu’on mange en cachette,
Vaut mieux que pain qu’on cuit et qu’on achète._”
LA FONTAINE, _Les Troqueurs_.]

_Je ne mange pas de ce pain-là_ = I don’t go in for that sort of
thing.

Pair

_Hors de pair_ = Beyond all comparison; Above the level of others.

_Traiter quelqu’un de pair à compagnon_ = To be
hail-fellow-well-met with any one; To treat any one on an equal
footing.

Paire

*_Les deux font la paire_ (fam.) = They are well matched;
_Arcades ambo_.

Paître

*_Je l’ai envoyé paître_ (fam.) = I sent him about his business.

Paix

_Paix et peu_ = Anything for a quiet life.

Panier

*_Adieu paniers, vendanges sont faites_ = You come too late, it
is all over.

[The chorus of an old glee sung by the grape-pickers when their
labours were finished. Comp. RABELAIS, _Gargantua_, xxvii.]

_Vous me donnez le dessus du panier_ = You give me the best, the
pick.

[_Le dessous du panier_ = the refuse.]

_C’est un panier percé_ = He is a spendthrift.

Panneau

_Donner dans le panneau_ = To fall into the trap.

Panse

_Il n’a pas fait une panse d’a aujourd’hui_ = He has not done a
stroke all day.

[_Panse d’a_ = the round part of an _a_.]

Papier

_Il n’est pas dans mes petits papiers_ = He is not in my good
books.

[“Oh! pourvu que je sois
Dans les petits papiers du _Mercure François_.”
ROSTAND, _Cyrano de Bergerac_, ii. 8.]

Paquet

_Je lui ai donné son paquet_ = I gave him the sack.

_Faire un paquet_ = To make a parcel.

_Faire son paquet_ = To pack up and go.

Par

_De par le roi_ = By the king’s command.

[“De par le roi, défense à Dieu
De faire miracle en ce lieu.”

A cynical couplet that arose when Louis XV. prohibited
pilgrimages to the tomb of François de Pâris, behind the Church
of St. Médard in Paris, because of the Convulsionnaires.]

Paraître

_Sans qu’il y paraisse, c’est un homme fort instruit_ = Without
making any show he is a very well-informed man.

_A ce qu’il me paraît_ = As far as I can judge, see.

_Le livre vient de paraître_ = The book is just out, just
published.

_Il n’y paraît plus_ = There is no trace of it.

_Il n’y paraît pas_ = One would not have thought it.

Pareil

_J’ai le pareil_ = I have one like it.

_Je vous rendrai la pareille_ = 1. I will pay you out. 2. I will
do the same for you.

_On n’a jamais vu chose pareille_ = One never heard of such a
thing.

Paresseux

*_Ce sont les paresseux qui font le plus de chemin_ = Lazy people
take the most pains.

_Parier Il y a cent_ (or, _gros_) _à parier qu’ils ne reviendront
pas_ = The odds are that they will not come back.

Paris

_Il prend Paris pour Corbeil, le Pirée pour un homme_ = “He does
not know a hawk from a handsaw.”

[_Hamlet_, ii. 2, where “handsaw” is a corruption of hernshaw =
heron. This was an old proverb, corrupted before Shakespeare’s
day.

“Pour grain ne prenant paille ou Paris pour Corbeil.”--RÉGNIER,
_Sat._ xiv.]

_Le Tout-Paris de ce temps-là_ = The fashionable world of Paris
of that day.

Parler

_Nous parlions de la pluie et du beau temps_ = We were not
talking of anything important or confidential; We were talking of
indifferent matters.

_Parler de bouche_ } = Lip worship does not
_Au cœur ne touche_ } reach the heart.

_C’est à vous à parler_ = It is your turn to speak.

_C’est à vous de parler_ = It is your duty to speak.

_Qu’il vienne, il trouvera à qui parler_ = Let him come, he will
find his match.

_Trop gratter cuit, trop parler nuit_ = Least said, soonest
mended; Speech is silvern, silence is golden.

[Italian: Chi parla semina, chi tace raccoglie = Who speaks sows,
who keeps silence reaps.

_Qui d’autruy parler voudra
Regarde soi et il taira._]

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

_Il a son franc parler_ = He is free-spoken.

Parole

*_Vous avez la parole_ = It is your turn to speak; You are
allowed to speak (_i.e._ you have caught the Speaker’s eye). See
_Avoir_.

_Je lui coupai la parole_ = I interrupted him.

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

_Être de parole_ = To be as good as one’s word.

_Manquer de parole_ (or, _manquer à sa parole_) = To break one’s
word.

_Tenir parole_ = To keep one’s word.

Part

_En bonne ou mauvaise part_ = In a good or bad sense.

_Nous le savons de bonne part_ = We know it on good authority.

Partager

_Il est bien partagé_ = The Fates have been kind to him.

Parti

_Il a pris son parti_ = 1. He has made up his mind. 2. He has
resigned himself to it.

_De parti pris_ = Deliberately.

_C’est un parti pris_ = His mind is made up; It is a foregone
conclusion.

_C’est un parti pris chez lui de toujours contredire_ = He will
always contradict.

_A parti pris point de conseil_ = Advice is useless when a man’s
mind is made up.

_Il tire parti de tout_ = He makes a profit out of everything.

_Il sait tirer parti de la vie_ = He knows how to make the best
of life.

_Il a épousé un bon parti_ = He made a good match.

_Il vous fera un mauvais parti_ = He will try and pick a quarrel
with you so as to ill-use you, to do you harm.

Partie

_Il m’a pris à partie_ = He took me to task; (legally) He
summoned me.

[_Partie_ is literally a man who pleads against any one in a
lawsuit. Compare:

“Va, je suis ta partie et non pas ton bourreau.”
CORNEILLE, _Cid_, 839.]

_C’était une partie nulle_ = It was a drawn game.

Pas

_Marcher à pas de géant_ = To put on one’s seven-league boots.

_Se tirer d’un mauvais pas_ = To get out of an awkward fix
(scrape).

*_Il n’y a que le premier pas qui coûte_ = In everything the
beginning is the most difficult part; The first step downward
makes the others easier.

[“_Il n’y a que le premier obstacle qui coûte à
vaincre._”--BOSSUET, _Pensées chrétiennes_, 9.]

_Il prend le pas sur moi_ = He takes precedence of me.

_J’y vais de ce pas_ = I am going there directly.

_Je le mettrai au pas_ = I will put him on his good behaviour.

_Marquer le pas_ = (lit.) To mark time; (fig.) To wait for a post
to which one has a right.

_Marchez au pas_ = Drive slowly; Walk in step.

Passe

_Il est en passe de devenir ministre_ = He is in a fair way (he
stands a good chance) to become a Cabinet Minister.

Passer

_Il faut bien que j’en passe par là_ = I must submit to that; I
must put up with it.

_Nous ne pouvons nous passer de cela_ = We cannot do without that.

*_Passons au déluge_ = We know all about that, let us come to the
point; Don’t let us go over all that again, we will take it for
granted.

[RACINE, _Plaideurs_, iii. 3; where L’Intimé, the lawyer, wishes
to relate the history of the world from the creation, and Dandin,
the judge, begs him to skip all until the flood.]

_Cette couleur passera_ = That colour will fade.

*_Passe-moi la casse (rhubarbe), je te passerai le séné_ = Claw
me and I’ll claw thee; One hand washes the other, and both wash
the face.

_Passez-moi ce mot-là_ = Excuse the expression.

_J’en passe ... et des meilleurs_ = Some of the best I pass over.
[VICTOR HUGO, _Hernani_, iii. 6.]

_On ne passe pas_ = No thoroughfare.

[_Rue barrée_ = Road stopped.]

Patte

_Vous faites des pattes de mouche_ = You have a small, ill-formed
handwriting.

_Il marche à quatre pattes_ = He walks on all-fours.

Pauvre

_Aux pauvres la besace_ = The back is made for the burden.

_L’homme pauvre est toujours en pays étranger_ = The poor are
never welcomed; All bite the bitten dog.

Pauvreté

*_Pauvreté n’est pas vice_ = Poverty is no crime.

Pavé

_Les pavés le disent_ = It is in every one’s mouth.

_Il est sur le pavé_ = He is out of work.

_Prendre le haut du pavé_ = To take the wall.

Payer

_Payer de sa personne_ = To bravely expose oneself to danger; To
risk one’s skin.

_Être payé pour savoir_ = To know a thing to one’s cost.

_Payer d’audace_ = To put on a bold face; To brazen a thing out.

_Payer les violons_ = To pay the piper.

_Je ne me paye pas de mauvaises raisons_ = I will only be
satisfied with good reasons.

_Vous vous payez de mots_ = You are the dupe of words; You are
taken in by empty words.

_Il me la payera_ = I will make him smart for it.

_Qui paye ses dettes s’enrichit_ = Debt is the worst kind of
poverty.

_Payer son écot_ = To pay one’s share (scot).

_Il veut se payer ma tête_ = He wishes to have the laugh of me.

Pays

*_Pays ruiné vaut mieux que pays perdu_ = Half a loaf is better
than no bread.

_Je lui ferai voir du pays_ = I will lead him a pretty dance.

Peau

*_Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué_ =
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched; First catch
your hare.

[“_Il m’a dit qu’il ne faut jamais
Vendre la peau de l’ours qu’on ne l’ait mis par terre._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, v. 20.]

_Il crève dans sa peau_ (fam.) = (lit.) He is extremely fat;
(fig.) He is bursting with pride, spite.

_Faire peau neuve_ = To turn over a new leaf.

Péché

*_Péché avoué est à demi pardonné_ = A fault confessed is half
redressed.

_Elle est laide comme les sept péchés capitaux_ = She is as ugly
as sin.

Pécher

_On est puni par où l’on a péché_ =

“The Gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to scourge us.”
[_King Lear_, v. 3.]

Peine

_Cela ne vaut pas la peine_ = It is not worth the trouble; It is
not worth while.

_Mourir à la peine_ = 1. To die in harness. 2. To work oneself to
death.

Peinture

_Je ne peux pas le voir même en peinture_ = I hate the very sight
of that man.

Pelé

_Il y avait quatre pelés et un tondu_ = There were only a few
people and those of no importance; Only the tag, rag, and bobtail
were there.

Pelle

*_La pelle se moque du fourgon_ = It is the pot calling the
kettle black.

[Another English variant is: “The kiln calls the oven: Burnt
house.” The Italians say: “La padella dice al pajuolo, ‘Fatti
ni la che tu me tigni’” = The pan says to the pot, “Keep off or
you’ll smutch me.” The Germans: “Ein Esel schimpft den andern
Langohr” = One ass nicknames another Longears.]

_Remuer l’argent à la pelle_ = To have plenty of money.

Pelote

_Il a fait sa pelote_ = He has feathered his nest.

Pendant

_Cet homme n’a pas son pendant_ (or, _pareil_) = That man has not
his match.

Pendre

_Il a dit pis que pendre de vous_ = He said everything that was
bad of you; According to him, hanging is too good for you.

Penser

_À ce que je pense_ = To my mind.

_Sans penser à mal_ = Without meaning any mischief.

_Rien que d’y penser j’en ai le frisson_ = The bare thought of it
makes me shudder.

_Cela donne furieusement à penser_ = That is very suggestive.

_Sans arrière-pensée_ = Without reserve; With no after-thought.

Perdre

*_Un de perdu, deux de retrouvés_ = When one door shuts, another
opens.

_Je m’y perds_ = I am getting bewildered; I cannot make head or
tail of it.

_Il perd la carte_ = He is getting confused.

_C’est du bien perdu_ = It is casting pearls before swine.

*_Qui perd pèche_ = He who loses sins; Nothing succeeds like
success.

Perdrix

*_Toujours des perdrix_ = The best things pall in time.

Perle

_Nous ne sommes pas ici pour enfiler des perles_ = We are not
here to trifle our time away.

Pérou

_Ce n’est pas le Pérou_ (fam.) = It’s no great catch.

Personne

_C’est la bonté en personne_ = He (_or_, She) is kindness itself.

Perte

_À perte de vue_ = As far as the eye can reach.

_Je suis en perte_ = I am out of pocket.

_J’ai fait cela en pure perte_ = What I have done is completely
useless; All I have done is to no purpose.

Pesant

_Il vaut son pesant d’or_ = He is worth his weight in gold.

Petit

_Elles sont aux petits soins pour leur vieille mère_ = They are
all attention to their old mother.

*_Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières_ = Many a little
makes a mickle.

*_Petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid_ = Little strokes fell
great oaks. (See _Maille_ and _Ruisseau_.)

[Also: _Grain à grain amasse la fourmi son pain.
Peu à peu la vieille file sa quenouille._

Latin: Adde parvum parvo tandem fit magnus acervus.

Italian: A passo a passo se va lontana.

Little and often fills the purse.]

_En petit_ = On a small scale.

*_Petit mercier, petit panier_ = A small pack becomes a small
pedlar.

[“Little boats should keep the shore,
Larger ships may venture more.”

Latin: Pauper agat caute.]

*_Petite cervelle, prompte colère_ = A little pot is soon hot.

Pétrin

_Je suis dans le pétrin_ (fam.) = I am in a mess, fix.

_Les finances sont en ce moment dans un pétrin impossible_ = The
finances are in horrible disorder just now.

Peu

_Si peu que rien_ = Next to nothing.

_Imaginez un peu!_ = Just fancy!

_Pour peu que cela vous ennuie_ = However little it annoys you.

_Tant soit peu meilleur_ = Be it ever so little better; A shade
better.

_À peu de chose près_ = Not far off.

Peur

_Elle était mise à faire peur_ = She looked a fright.

_Il a eu plus de peur que de mal_ = He was more frightened than
hurt.

Phrase

_Faire des phrases_ = To speak affectedly.

Pie

*_Il a trouvé la pie au nid_ = He has found a mare’s nest.

_Elle jase comme une pie borgne_ = She chatters like a magpie.

Pièce

_J’ai fait cela de toutes pièces_ = I have done that entirely
(_i.e._ every part of it).

_Je lui ai donné la pièce_ = I gave him a trifle, tip.

_C’est la pièce de résistance_ = It is the principal dish (of a
meal).

Pied

_Il a bon pied, bon œil_ = He is hale and hearty.

_Sur le pied où en sont les choses_ = Considering how matters
stand.

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

_Partir du bon pied_ = To put one’s best foot foremost.

_Je ferai des pieds et des mains pour vous être utile_ = I will
do my utmost (strain every nerve) to serve you.

_Armé de pied en cap_ = Armed from head to foot, cap-à-pie.

_Le pied m’a manqué_ = My foot slipped.