French Clichés
A cliché is an expression that is used or has been used so often that it has become trite, so you probably don't want to use these French clichés all the time, but you will probably hear them quite a bit.
| English | French | Literal translation |
|---|---|---|
| Don't put all your eggs in one basket. | Ne mets pas tous tes œufs dans le même panier. | |
| He always has to put his two cents in. | Il faut toujours qu'il ramène sa fraise. (familiar) | He always has to bring his strawberry back. |
| He let the cat out of the bag. | Il a vendu la mèche. | He sold the wick. |
| He's knee-high to a grasshopper. | Il est haut comme trois pommes. | He's tall like three apples. |
| He never forgets anything. | Il a une mémoire d'éléphant. | He has an elephant's memory. |
| He's a chip off the old block. | C'est bien le fils de son père. | He is certainly his father's son. |
| He's as proud as a peacock. | Il est fier comme un coq. | He's proud like a rooster. |
| He turned a deaf ear. | Il a fait la sourde oreille. | He did the deaf ear. |
| I can't make heads or tails of it. | J'y perds mon latin. | I lose my Latin there. |
| I got it for a song. | Je l'ai eu pour une bouchée de pain | I had it for a mouthful of bread |
| I saw that coming a mile away. | Je l'ai vu venir gros comme une maison | I saw it coming as big as a house |
| I slept like a log. | J'ai dormi comme une souche. | I slept like a stump. |
| It's a blessing in disguise. | C'est un bien pour un mal. | It's a good for a bad. |
| It's as easy as pie | C'est facile comme tout | It's easy like everything |
| It's now or never | C'est le moment ou jamais | It's the moment or never |
| It was a godsend. | C'est tombé du ciel. | It fell from the sky. |
| I wasn't born yesterday. | Je ne suis pas né hier. | |
| Let's let bygones be bygones. | Oublions le passé. | Let's forget the past. |
| Like a bull in a china shop | Comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles | Like a dog in a game of ninepins |
| Like father, like son. | Tel père, tel fils. | |
| A little bird told me. | Mon petit doigt me l'a dit. | My pinky told me. |
| A lot of water has passed under the bridge. | Il est passé beaucoup d'eau sous le pont. | |
| The more things change, the more they stay the same. | Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. | More it changes, more it's the same thing. |
| No news is good news. | Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles. | No news, good news. |
| Run for your life! | Sauve qui peut ! | Save who can! |
| She found Mr. Right | Elle a trouvé l'oiseau rare | She found the rare bird |
| She's as thin as a rail. | Elle est maigre comme un clou. | She's thin like a nail. |
| She's nothing but skin and bones. | Elle n'a que la peau et les os. | |
| Speak of the devil! | Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue ! | When one talks of the wolf, one sees his tail. |
| Spring is for lovers | Printemps, c'est pour les amants | Spring, that's for lovers |
| That costs an arm and a leg | Ça coûte les yeux de la tête | That costs the eyes from the head |
| That goes without saying | Cela va de soi | That goes from itself |
| The coast is clear | Le champ est libre | The field is free |
| They're like two peas in a pod. | Elles se ressemblent comme deux gouttes d'eau. | They resemble each other like two drops of water. |
| To happen sure as night follows day. | Arriver comme mars en carême. | To arrive like March during the fast. |
| To each his own. | Chacun son goût. | Each to his taste. |
| We have other fish to fry. | On a d'autres chats à fouetter. | We have other cats to whip. |
| We're all in the same boat | Nous sommes tous dans le même bain | We're all in the same bath |
| We're in a fine mess | On est dans un beau pétrin | We're in a nice kneading trough |
| We've got to nip this in the bud. | Il faut le détruire dans l'œuf. | It's necessary to destroy it in the egg. |
| When pigs fly! | Quand les poules auront des dents ! | When hens have teeth! |
| You're looking for a needle in a haystack. | Tu cherches une aiguille dans une botte de foin. |
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