The French are particularly known for their love of fine cuisine, and so it’s no surprise that many of their idioms are related to food. In this post, I’ll take a look at some of the most commonly used of these expressions, including those which use food metaphors and those which are about food itself.
Familiarising yourself with these idioms is a great way to improve your language skills – you’ll be able to understand more of what you read and hear in French, and if you slip one or two of these into conversation, you’ll fit right in with the natives.
appuyer sur le champignon
Meaning: to accelerate (in a car), to put your foot down (British), to step on the gas (American)
Lit.: to press on the mushroom
Example << Appuie sur le champignon, on est en retard ! >> “Put your foot down, we’re late!”
tomber dans les pommes
Meaning: to faint, to pass out
Lit.: to fall in the apples
Example: Il est tombé dans les pommes pendant son tatouage. He fainted whilst getting a tattoo.
avoir un petit creux
Meaning: to feel peckish (British), to be a little bit hungry
Lit.: to have a small hollow
Example: J’avais un petit creux alors j’ai pris un goûter. I was feeling peckish so I had a snack.
cracher dans la soupe
Meaning: to bite the hand that feeds you, to show disdain for something/somebody that one needs
Lit.: to spit in the soup
Example: Ne sois pas irrespectueux envers ta mère. Il ne faut pas cracher dans la soupe. Don’t be disrespectful towards your mother. You mustn’t bite the hand that feeds you.
C’est pas tes oignons !
Meaning: It’s none of your business! Mind your own beeswax!
Lit.: It’s not your onions!
Example:
<< As-tu réussi à l’examen ? >>
<< C’est pas tes oignons ! >>
“Did you pass the exam?”
“It’s none of your business!”
Note: you may also see the variations Mêle-toi de tes oignons ! and Occupe-toi de tes oignons !, which both translate as “Mind your own business!”.
mettre son grain de sel
Meaning: to stick one’s nose in, to put in one’s two pennies/cents
Lit.: to put one’s grain of salt
Example: Elle met toujours son grain de sel. She always sticks her nose in.
raconter des salades
Meaning: to spin yarns, to tell tales
Lit.: to tell salads
Example: << Je ne te crois pas, je pense que tu me racontes des salades. >> “I don’t believe you; I think you’re telling me tales.”
avoir la pêche
Meaning: to feel great, to be full of energy
Lit.: to have the peach
Example: Je me suis remis de mon rhume et j’ai encore la pêche ! I’ve gotten over my cold and I feel great again!
Note: there’s quite a few variations of this idiom. Among the most common are avoir la patate (lit.: to have the potato) and avoir la frite (lit.: to have the French fry). (Both of these have the same meaning as avoir la pêche).
avoir du pain sur la planche
Meaning: to have a lot on one’s plate, to have a lot to do
Lit.: to have bread on the board
Example: Elle est stressée parce qu’elle a du pain sur la planche. She’s stressed because she’s got a lot on her plate.
avoir une faim de loup
Meaning: to be very hungry, to be famished, to be starving
Lit.: to have the wolf’s hunger
Example: Si je ne prends pas de déjeuner, je vais avoir une faim de loup ! If I don’t have breakfast, I’m going to be famished!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in my Amazon Kindle e-book, The Little Book of French Idioms, which introduces you to over one hundred idioms, looking at their literal translations, meanings, and how to use them in context.
