The French expression “avoir la bouteille” translates literally to “to have the bottle”.
English meaning:
- to have been around a long time
- getting on in years
- to be long in the tooth
French meaning:
- commencer à vieillir – to start to age
- acquérir de l’expérience avec l’âge – to acquire experience with age
Example sentence:
- Il ne faut rien expliquer à Jean : Il a la bouteille et il sait comment ça marche ici. You don’t have to explain anything to Jean. He’s been around for a long time and knows how things work here.
Related expressions:
- avoir roulé sa bosse – Literally: to have rolled your bump; to have been around
- en connaître un bout – Literally: to know an end; to have been around
- se faire vieux, se faire vieille – Literally: to make old; to be getting along in years
- prendre de l’âge – Literally: to take age; to be getting along in years
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
