avoir la bouteille

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

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