Why is having the cockroach being depressed? What does it mean when you say a drink is cat pee? Learn these and more beastly fun French expressions!
Just as in English, the French have their own set of colorful phrases that draw upon the animal world for inspiration — I won’t even mention frogs here. Here’s a sampling of phrases and expressions translated to English, inspired by our furry and feathered friends. It should give you an insight into the cultural nuances of French life and will helpfully prevent you from speaking like a Spanish cow! –Wally
“The expression “La nuit, tous les chats sont gris” translates to “At night, all cats are gray.”
It’s attributed to Benjamin Franklin as a reason to take an older woman to bed!”
Don’t waste that good jam on these pigs
Pigs
C’est donner de la confiture aux cochons.
What it translates to: It’s like giving jam to pigs.
What it means: That’s like casting pearls before swine, or that’s giving something valuable to people who won’t appreciate them.
Manger comme un cochon
What it translates to: To eat like a pig
What it means: To pig out
Un cochon n'y retrouverait pas ses petits.
What it translates to: A pig couldn’t find its babies here.
What it means: This place is a pig sty, a complete mess.
Would you dare wake up this lil guy if he was sleeping?
Cats
Ne réveillez pas le chat qui dort.
What it translates to: Don’t wake the sleeping cat.
What it means: Let sleeping dogs lie, or don’t interfere in a situation that’s going well.
Un chat dans la gorge
What it translates to: A cat in your throat
What it means: A frog in your throat
Appelez un chat un chat
What it translates to: To call a cat a cat
What it means: To call a spade a spade, to speak plainly even if it’ll hurt someone
Quand le chat est parti, les souris dansent.
What it translates to: When the cat’s away, the mice start to play dance.
What it means: When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
Donner sa langue au chat
What it translates to: To give his or her tongue to the cat
What it means: You might think this means “cat got your tongue,” but it actually means to give up.
À bon chat, bon rat
What it translates to: To the good cat, a good rat
What it means: To meet one’s match (some translate this to “tit for tat”)
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter
What it translates to: To have other cats to whip (they better mean cat o’ nine tails and not actual kitties!)
What it means: To have bigger fish to fry
Les chiens ne font pas des chats.
What it translates to: Dogs don’t have cats.
What it means: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, like father like son (the kids are like their parents).
C’est du pipi de chat.
What it translates to: It’s cat pee.
What it means: This drink is weak or has no flavor.
Il n’y a pas un chat.
What it translates to: There’s no cat.
What it means: Nobody’s here.
La nuit, tous les chats sont gris.
What it translates to: At night, all cats are gray.
What it means: In the dark, physical appearance isn’t important. (This is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin as a reason to take an older woman to bed!)
Un chat échaudé craint l’eau froide.
What it translates to: A scalded cat fears cold water.
What it means: Once bitten, twice shy, or to have been burned before (to have had a bad experience and be overly cautious in a similar situation).
Would you ever need a drink so badly that you’d harm this adorable Frenchie?
Dogs
À boire, ou j’tue le chien!
What it translates to: A drink — or kill the dog!
What it means: I need a drink!
Un temps de chien
What it translates to: Dog’s weather
What it means: Bad weather
Les chiens aboient, la caravane passe.
What it translates to: Dogs howl, the caravan passes.
What it means: Let them say what they want; I know what I’m doing.
Le chien qui aboie ne mord pas.
What it translates to: The dog that barks doesn’t bite.
What it means: His bark is worse than his bite (he’s all talk and no action).
You can’t drown a fish, sillies!
Fish
Noyer le poisson
What it translates to: To drown the fish
What it means: To bamboozle somebody
Le petit poisson deviendra grand.
What it translates to: The little fish will get bigger.
What it means: The child will grow up one day, or a little bit can go a long way.
Avoir des yeux de merlan frit
What it translates to: To have a fried merlan’s eyes (a merlan is a type of fish — a whiting or merling)
What it means: Bloodshot, runny eyes
Comme un poisson dans l’eau
What it translates to: Like a fish in water
What it means: To be comfortable in a particular situation (funny that we have “like a fish out of water.”)
This gals will grow teeth when Hell freezes over
Birds
Quand les poules auront des dents
What it translates to: When hens have teeth
What it means: When Hell freezes over (or when pigs fly) — that is to say, never
T’es comme une poule qui a trouvé un couteau.
What it translates to: You’re like a chicken that’s found a knife.
What it means: You’re very confused.
Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps.
What it translates to: One swallow doesn’t mean it’s spring.
What it means: Don’t jump to conclusions.
Faire un froid de canard
What it translates to: To be duck cold
What it means: To be really cold
Avoir la chair de poule
What it translates to: To have hen’s flesh
What it means: To have goosebumps
Une poule mouillée
What it translates to: A wet hen
What it means: Someone who’s easily scared (we say chicken or scaredy cat as well)
Petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid.
What it translates to: Little by little, the bird makes its nest.
What it means: A little bit goes a long way.
La bave du crapaud n’atteint pas la blanche colombe.
What it translates to: The toad’s spit doesn’t reach the white dove.
What it means: It’s water off a duck’s back, to not let an insult or criticism affect you.
If you don’t know what “la vache” means, you speak French like a Spanish cow
Livestock (Cows, Horses, Donkeys, Sheep)
Être franc comme un âne qui recule
What it translates to: To be as frank as a backtracking donkey
What it means: To lie
Parler français comme une vache espagnole
What it translates to: To speak French like a Spanish cow
What it means: To speak French poorly
La vache!
What it translates to: The cow!
What it means: My god!
Passer du coq à l’âne
What it translates to: To go from the rooster to the donkey
What it means: To jump from one topic to another
Brider l’âne par la queue
What it translates to: To bridle a donkey by the tail
What it means: To do something lacking common sense
Avoir une force de cheval
What it translates to: To have the strength of a horse
What it means: To be strong as an ox
Une queue de cheval
What it translates to: A horse’s tail
What it means: A ponytail
Ce n’est pas la vache qui crie le plus fort qui donne le plus de lait.
What it translates to: The cow that cries the loudest isn’t the one that gives the most milk.
What it means: The ones that protest the most do the least amount of work.
Qui vole un œuf, vole un bœuf.
What it translates to: He who steals an egg steals an ox.
What it means: Stealing is stealing, or a small crime leads to a bigger one.
Revenons à nos moutons.
What it translates to: Let’s get back to our sheep.
What it means: Let’s get back to what we were doing.
Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs
What it translates to: To put the cart before the oxen.
What it means: To put the cart before the horse, do something in the wrong order, or expect too much
On ne fait pas boire un âne qui n’a pas soif.
What it translates to: You can’t make a donkey drink if it’s not thirsty.
What it means: You can’t force a stubborn person to do something they don’t want to do.
Laisser pisser le mérinos
What it translates to: To let the merinos piss (merinos are a type of sheep)
What it means: To not react to a provocation (we might say, “It’s like water off a duck’s back.”)
Are you as depressed as this cockroach?
Bugs
Tirer les vers du nez
What it translates to: To pull worms out of the nose
What it means: To try to get someone to talk, reveal information
Avoir le cafard
What it translates to: To have the cockroach
What it means: To be down in the dumps
Avoir une araignée au plafond
What it translates to: To have a spider on the ceiling
What it means: To have bats in the belfry, to be a little crazy
On n’attrape pas les mouches avec du vinaigre.
What it translates to: You don’t catch flies with vinegar.
What it means: You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar (if you want something from someone, be nice and flattering).
Avoir des fourmis
What it translates to: To have ants
What it means: To feel pins and needles
Une écriture en pattes de mouche
What it translates to: Fly’s leg writing
What it means: Writing that’s too small to read, chicken scratch
Gross! Nobody likes a badly licked bear!
Bears
Vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué
What it translates to: To sell the bear’s skin before you’ve killed it
What it means: To count your chickens before they’re hatched
Un ours mal léché
What it translates to: A badly licked bear
What it means: An unsociable or uncouth person
Speak of the wolf and the Devil appears (or something like that)
Wolves
Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue).
What it translates to: When you speak of the wolf (you see its tail).
What it means: Speak of the Devil (and he appears).
J’ai une faim de loup.
What it translates to: I have a wolf’s hunger.
What it means: I’m starving (hungry like the wolf, à la Duran Duran?)
Marmots, like this fellow, really know how to get a good night’s sleep
Miscellaneous Animals
Dormir comme une marmotte
What it translates to: To sleep like a marmot (a giant, chubby squirrel, apparently)
What it means: To sleep like a log
Se faire poser un lapin
What it translates to: To be given a rabbit
What it means: To be stood up
S’ennuyer comme un rat mort
What it translates to: To be as bored as a dead rat
What it means: To be bored to death
Mémoire d’éléphant
What it translates to: An elephant’s memory
What it means: Similar to our expression, “An elephant never forgets.”
C’est la montagne qui accouche d’une souris.
What it translates to: The mountain gave birth to a mouse.
What it means: The big event turned out to be a major disappointment.
Ce n’est pas aux vieux singes qu’on apprend à faire des grimaces.
What it translates to: It’s not with old monkeys that you learn to make faces.
What it means: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Apparently the French and English agree that foxes are sly
Same as in English
Rusé comme un renard
What it translates to and what it means: Sly as a fox
Prendre le taureau par les cornes
What it translates to and what it means: To take the bull by the horns
Têtu comme une mule
What it translates to and what it means: Stubborn as a mule
Sources: Babbel, elearningfrench.com, Immersion Place, Voulez Vouloz
