Connaître la musique

Expression: Connaître la musique

Pronunciation: [kuh netr la mu zeek]

Meaning: To know the routine, how something works; to know all about something, be an old hand

Literal translation: To know the music

Register: normal

Notes: The French expression connaître la musique can be used literally or idiomatically. You might know how to play the music from Les Misérables, for example, or be familiar with the soundtrack from Amélie - you actually know the music.

But the idiomatic meaning is more figurative. When you say Il connaît la musique, you mean either that he knows all of the details (about a particular situation or business dealing, for example), or that he's been through this before and knows how it works (such as a person who has been arrested several times).

Example:

   Policier : Alors, tu connais la musique. Dis-moi ce qui s'est passé.

   Police officer: OK, you know the routine. Tell me what happened.

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Most common French phrases