French Expressions and Idioms

Question 1

Question 1 : What does someone do when they "put the cart before the horse"?

Possible answers:

He does things out of order
He works very hard
Il est très patient
Il est maladroit

Answer

This expression means doing things in the wrong order, starting with the end.

Question 2

Question 2 : What do you do when you "casser les pieds" (annoy someone in French)?

Possible answers:

You hurt them physically
On lui rend service
You annoy or bother them
On le fait danser

Answer

"Casser les pieds" means to bore or bother someone. This expression, attested since the 16th century, is a polite version of a cruder expression using another body part.

Question 3

Question 3 : What does someone do when they "split hairs"?

Possible answers:

Il est coiffeur
He is too nitpicky
Il va très vite
Il est généreux

Answer

"Couper les cheveux en quatre" (splitting hairs) means being excessively meticulous, looking for unnecessary complications.

Question 4

Question 4 : What does the French expression "prendre ses jambes à son cou" mean?

Possible answers:

Se reposer
S'enfuir rapidement
Faire du sport
Avoir mal aux jambes

Answer

"Prendre ses jambes à son cou" means to run away very fast, to flee at full speed.

Question 5

Question 5 : What does the French expression "coûter les yeux de la tête" mean?

Possible answers:

To be dangerous
To be rare
To be very expensive
To be tiring

Answer

This expression means that something is extremely expensive, very costly.

Question 6

Question 6 : What does "avoir un chat dans la gorge" (to have a cat in the throat) mean?

Possible answers:

Tousser beaucoup
Avoir mal à la gorge
Avoir soif
To be hoarse

Answer

This expression means to be hoarse or have difficulty speaking. It may come from a corruption of "maton" (curdled milk) blocking the throat.

Question 7

Question 7 : What does the French expression "avoir le cœur sur la main" (to be generous) mean?

Possible answers:

To be very generous
To be very emotional
To have heart disease
Having beautiful hands

Answer

"Avoir le cœur sur la main" means to be very generous. The heart symbolizes feelings and the hand the act of giving.

Question 8

Question 8 : What does "have a green thumb" mean?

Possible answers:

Being good at gardening
To be sick
To be eco-friendly
To be jealous

Answer

"Avoir la main verte" (to have a green thumb) means being talented at gardening, successfully growing plants.

Question 9

Question 9 : What do you do when you "put a flea in someone's ear" (French expression)?

Possible answers:

On le fait rire
You tell them a secret
You arouse their suspicions
You give them a gift

Answer

"Mettre la puce à l'oreille" means to arouse someone's suspicions or attention. In the old days, a flea in the ear would make you very alert!

Question 10

Question 10 : What does the French expression "donner sa langue au chat" (give one's tongue to the cat) mean?

Possible answers:

One gives up finding the answer
One tells a secret
One talks too much
One makes a mistake

Answer

This expression means to give up trying to find the answer. Originally, people said "throw one's tongue to the dog," meaning to abandon something worthless. In the 19th century, the cat replaced the dog as cats were considered keepers of secrets.

Question 11

Question 11 : What does someone want who wishes to "have the butter and the money for the butter"?

Possible answers:

Have everything without sacrificing anything
Be very rich
Make a bad choice
Be very generous

Answer

This French expression means wanting to have it all without sacrificing anything. It is sometimes extended to "have the butter, the money for the butter, and the smile of the dairy maid" to emphasize excessive greed.

Question 12

Question 12 : What does the French expression "avoir le cafard" mean?

Possible answers:

To be sad
To be angry
Avoir peur
Avoir faim

Answer

This expression, popularized by Baudelaire in the 19th century, means to be sad or depressed. The black cockroach represents the dark thoughts invading the mind, a symbol of melancholy.

Question 13

Question 13 : What does "tomber dans les pommes" mean in French?

Possible answers:

Trébucher
S'endormir
Avoir faim
S'évanouir

Answer

This expression means to faint. Its origin is debated, but it may come from "tomber dans les pâmes" (pâmoison = fainting).

Question 14

Question 14 : What do you do when you "poser un lapin" to someone in French?

Possible answers:

You don't show up to the appointment
You ask them a question
You play a prank on them
You give them a present

Answer

"Poser un lapin" means to stand someone up — not showing up for an appointment without warning. The expression dates from the 19th century.

Question 15

Question 15 : What do you feel when "la moutarde monte au nez" in French?

Possible answers:

De la peur
De la colère
De la tristesse
De la joie

Answer

This expression refers to the stinging sensation of strong mustard. It means that anger is gradually rising.

Question 16

Question 16 : How do you describe someone who "a un poil dans la main" in French?

Possible answers:

Paresseux
Généreux
Maladroit
Nerveux

Answer

This humorous expression describes a person so lazy that a hair has had time to grow in their palm!

Question 17

Question 17 : What does the French expression "couper la poire en deux" (cut the pear in half) mean?

Possible answers:

We argue
We cook
We give up
We make a compromise

Answer

This French expression means finding a compromise, sharing fairly between two parties.

Question 18

Question 18 : What does the French expression "faire la grasse matinée" mean?

Possible answers:

We eat a lot
We do sports
We sleep late
We wake up early

Answer

"Grasse" here means copious, abundant. "Faire la grasse matinée" means to sleep in, to sleep longer than usual.

Question 19

Question 19 : What does someone do when they "mettre son grain de sel" (put their grain of salt) in a conversation?

Possible answers:

He listens
He gives his opinion
He leaves
He cooks

Answer

"Mettre son grain de sel" means to intervene to give one's opinion, often unsolicited.

Question 20

Question 20 : How is a person who "est dans les nuages" (is in the clouds)?

Possible answers:

Very tired
Distracted, dreamy
Very happy
Angry

Answer

"Être dans les nuages" means being distracted, dreamy, not focused on reality.

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The 20 quiz questions

Question 1 : What does someone do when they "put the cart before the horse"?

Question 2 : What do you do when you "casser les pieds" (annoy someone in French)?

Question 3 : What does someone do when they "split hairs"?

Question 4 : What does the French expression "prendre ses jambes à son cou" mean?

Question 5 : What does the French expression "coûter les yeux de la tête" mean?

Question 6 : What does "avoir un chat dans la gorge" (to have a cat in the throat) mean?

Question 7 : What does the French expression "avoir le cœur sur la main" (to be generous) mean?

Question 8 : What does "have a green thumb" mean?

Question 9 : What do you do when you "put a flea in someone's ear" (French expression)?

Question 10 : What does the French expression "donner sa langue au chat" (give one's tongue to the cat) mean?

Question 11 : What does someone want who wishes to "have the butter and the money for the butter"?

Question 12 : What does the French expression "avoir le cafard" mean?

Question 13 : What does "tomber dans les pommes" mean in French?

Question 14 : What do you do when you "poser un lapin" to someone in French?

Question 15 : What do you feel when "la moutarde monte au nez" in French?

Question 16 : How do you describe someone who "a un poil dans la main" in French?

Question 17 : What does the French expression "couper la poire en deux" (cut the pear in half) mean?

Question 18 : What does the French expression "faire la grasse matinée" mean?

Question 19 : What does someone do when they "mettre son grain de sel" (put their grain of salt) in a conversation?

Question 20 : How is a person who "est dans les nuages" (is in the clouds)?

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