A dozen French idioms to improve your language skills

French is full of interesting idioms, which, once you know and understand, can take your language skills to the next level.

An idiom is a non-literal phrase or expression whose meaning you would not be able to easily deduce purely by reading the individual words.

We use them often in English, a classic example being “break a leg” which is used to say “good luck” instead of the nastier, literal meaning.

Here are some French idioms to get you started.

1. S’occuper de ses oignons
Literal translation: Look after your onions.
Idiomatic meaning: Mind your own business!

2. Avoir les chevilles qui enflent
Literal translation: To have swollen ankles.
Idiomatic meaning: To be big-headed.

3. Avoir le melon
Literal translation: To have the melon.
Idiomatic meaning: To be big-headed.

Read also: Five French words that we use in English…and vice versa

4. Ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard
Literal translation: To not break three legs on a duck.
Idiomatic meaning: It is nothing special (Like the English expression “it is nothing to write home about).

5. Tire à balle reélle
Literal translation: To shoot real ammunition.
Idiomatic meaning: The English equivalent to “shots fired” - when someone says something critical to you.

6. Pointer le bout de son nez
Literal translation: To point to the end of his/her nose.
Idiomatic meaning: To show up.

7. Ca coute un bras
Literal translation: It costs an arm.
Idiomatic meaning: It is really expensive (like the English expression “it costs an arm and a leg”).

8. Avoir la gueule de bois
Literal translation: To have a mouth of wood.
Idiomatic meaning: To have a hangover.

Read also: Measure your French fluency against these five language milestones

9. Couper les cheveux en quatre
Literal translation: To cut the hairs into four.
Idiomatic meaning: To be pedantic or meticulous (like the English expression “splitting hairs”).

10. Faire la grasse matinée
Literal translation: To make a fat morning.
Idiomatic meaning: To have a lie-in.

11. Avoir un chat dans la gorge
Literal translation: To have a cat in your throat.
Idiomatic meaning: To have a sore throat or croaky voice (like the English expression “to have a frog in your throat”).

12. Une bouchée de pain
Literal translation: A mouthful of bread.
Idiomatic meaning: For low-cost/cheap.

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