fill your boots!!

where the bear dances, no hair on your tongue, mustard up your nose... the joys of idioms!

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A quick note up top: Well, I guess I am a bit lonely for family and friends during the holidays so I’ve devised 2 advent situations to bring a frisson of joy.

1. In Aix-en-Provence I purchased an Advent Calendar filled with small skincare products. I’m unboxing in silly videos in case you want to see a delightful French advent! You can follow in notes. Here is day 1, me, before I’ve brushed my teeth, in my robe, checking like an 8 year old!

2. Paid subscriber perk: A Writers’ Advent(ure) Calendar. LMK if you’d like to receive a writing prompt in your inbox each morning between now and 1 January.

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Bonjour-Bonjour!

The text above came in the other day and at first I was a little nervous that I’d asked my new friend a cheeky question… thankfully she was merely sharing a new idiom she’d learned in French class.

Moi, j’adore le bizarre turns of phrase. Here are a few more:

• “Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez.” This literally means “to have mustard going up your nose” or, someone would ask your, “what the heck is wrong with you?” Why are you so upset?

• “Avoir la pêche.” This literally means “to have the peach.” This could mean to feel great, to feel happy, to be in high spirits.

• “Avoir les chevilles qui enflent.“ This literally means “to have ankles that swell” which means “to be full of yourself.”

• “Un coup de foudre.” This literally means “a thunderbolt” and it’s short for “avoir un coup de foudre pour quelqu’un” which means to “have a lightning bolt for someone” or love at first sight.

• Another new friend, this one from the UK, told me to “fill my boots!” at the patisserie the other morning. Which means, live large, have some fun, do it with energy and passion!

• “Il y a une araignée au plafond.” Literally means “he has a spider on the ceiling,” which means to be a bit bizarre, strange, odd.

• Poser un lapin, literally means “to place a rabbit,” If the person you were supposed to meet doesn’t show up, you can say “il m’a posé un lapin,” or, “he stood me up.”

• Eine Extrawurst verlangen, Literal Translation “demand an extra sausage!”

  which means to demand special treatment.

• Da steppt der Bär, The literal translation “the bear dances there.”

  Or, “a party that’s off-the-hook!”

• “Non Avere Peli Sulla Lingua.” Literally means ”to not have hair on one’s tongue.” You use it to describe people who don’t beat around the bush and always say exactly what they mean. (To their own peril, like me…) “Natalie non ha peli sulla lingua!”

• “Raconter des salades.” Literally means, “to tell salads,” which means “to tell lies”. Use when you want to tell someone that everything they think they know is false. “– Ça suffit! Tu racontes des salades!” or: “Enough with that. What you’re saying is false!”

All of this got me to thinking it would be great fun to have a book of idioms from around the world, and voila!

Do you have a favorite idiom? Do tell!

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Thanks for reading. I hope your day is filled Funny turns for phrase. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber and you wish to send a little love my way:

If you missed the last few jewels… no fear! Here they are: Thanks for reading. If you missed some jewels… no fear! Here are a few: coffee cups. boobs. doors. your face. And, you can find them all here!

To stay in the loop:

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Tell your people you love them, and take care of your skin! J’espere que vous avez la pêche!

Merci,