Editing Language/French/Culture/Funny-idiomatic-expressions

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<span style="font-size:300%; font-weight:bold;color: black">Funny French Idioms</span>

Voici quelques expressions idiomatiques utiles en français.
<blockquote>Here are some useful idioms in French.</blockquote>
==Faire quelque chose à l’oeil==
le faire gratuitement
<blockquote>Doing it for free</blockquote>
==Faire quelque chose  aux frais de la princesse==
le faire gratuitement
<blockquote>Doing it for free</blockquote>
==avoir un nom à coucher dehors==
avoir un nom difficile à écrire ou à prononcer
<blockquote>have a name that is difficult to write or pronounce</blockquote>
==être à la bourre==
être très en retard
<blockquote>Be very late</blockquote>
==se tirer la bourre==
se battre pour gagner
<blockquote>Fight to win</blockquote>
== Aboyer au mauvais arbre ==
*Litteraly: Barking up the wrong tree
*Meaning: Looking in the wrong place, accusing the wrong person

se réfère au chien de chasse qui aboie au pied d'un arbre sans proie.
<blockquote>refers to the hunting dog that barks at the foot of a tree without prey.</blockquote>

== Avoir le cœur sur la main ==
* Litteraly: To have the heart on the hand 
* Meaning: Une personne qui a le cœur sur la main est une personne très généreuse.
 The truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward. 

==C'est un secret de polichinelle==
*Meaning: it's an open secret
*Example: Il élude toujours les questions pièges sur ses préférences politiques, mais c'est un secret de polichinelle. Source: Le Monde (2001)
<blockquote>He always dodges trick questions about his political preferences, but it's an open secret.</blockquote>
==Il a gagné la course "les doigts dans le nez"==
*Litteraly: He won the race with his fingers in the nose
*Meaning: He won the race very easily

==C'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité==
*Meaning: Someone who doesn't give a damn about an individual's fault, which he himself has.
*Origin: Here, the word "hospital" refers to a medical establishment since the 17th century. This establishment was managed by a principal, who called himself "charity". The hospital, having nothing to envy of charity, therefore has no valid reason to mock it. This is where the fun side of the phrase lies, a certain irony. This therefore qualifies a person who makes fun of someone who has the same fault as her.

== Dur à avaler ==
* Litteraly: Hard to swallow, hard to believe
* Meaning: difficile à croire, difficile à admettre

==Faire l'autruche / pratiquer la politique de l'autruche==

We use this expression to talk about someone who refuses to face reality and prefers to bury his head in the ground "like an ostrich".
==écraser une mouche avec un marteau-pilon==
*Litteraly: crush a fly with a hammer
*Meaning: Take disproportionate measures to resolve a problem.

== Mettre la main à la pâte ==
* Litteraly: Have a finger in the pie
* Meaning: Have an interest in or meddle in something. 

The truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward. 

==Il n'a pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre==
* Litteraly: He didn’t invent the wire to cut the butter
* Meaning: Someone not very smart who react slowly

==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/French/Culture/Diego-Garcia-Timeline|Diego Garcia Timeline]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/French-Major-Historical-Dates|French Major Historical Dates]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/French-Strikes-Why|French Strikes Why]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/Clipperton-Island-Timeline|Clipperton Island Timeline]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/The-Castlebar-Races|The Castlebar Races]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/Congo–Kinshasa-Timeline|Congo–Kinshasa Timeline]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/Gabon-Timeline|Gabon Timeline]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/Monaco-Timeline|Monaco Timeline]]
* [[Language/French/Culture/French-territories|French territories]]
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