Avoir un poil dans la main

Expression: Avoir un poil dans la main

Pronunciation: [ah vwah roo(n) pwahl da(n) lah meh(n)]

Meaning: to be extremely lazy, bone-idle, a lazybones

Literal translation: to have a hair in the hand

Register: informal

Notes: The French expression avoir un poil dans la main and its accompanying gesture offer a very precise image of a hand that does so little there's actually a hair growing out of it. Or I suppose they could be saying that the person is so lazy s/he can't be bothered to pluck a hair growing in such a ridiculous place, or even to notice it. What do you think?*

Example

   Depuis le déménagement, il ne fait rien - il a un poil dans la main.
   Since the move, he hasn't done anything - he's a real lazybones.

Gesture: Poil dans la main

To express even greater laziness, you can take it a step further by increasing the size of the hair:

Ce n'est plus un poil (qu'il a dans la main), c'est une canne ! or un bambou !
"It's no longer a hair (that he has in his hand), it's a cane! or a bamboo stick!"

*Post your comments about the French expression avoir un poil dans la main on my French blog - just hit "comments" at the bottom of the post.


More

• Expressions with avoir
• Parts of the body in French
• Most common French phrases
• French gestures