Today we’ll have a look at a fun French idiom: Avoir la gueule de bois which means “to have a hangover” and translates literally to “to have a mouth of wood”.
avoir la gueule de bois
to have a hangover
Avoir la gueule de bois
Expression origin
According to Lerobert.com, the French expression avoir la gueule de bois goes back to the 18th century. Gueule is a French slang word for mouth and comes from the Latin word gula (throat, neck, gullet, maw). The word bois (wood) is a metaphor for the hangover symptom of the stiffness and dryness of the tongue.
Example sentences
Sylvie a trop bu hier soir. Quand elle s’est levée ce matin elle a eu la gueule de bois et elle a vomi partout.
Sylvie drank too much last night. She was hungover and vomited everywhere when she woke up this morning.
Les symptômes de la gueule de bois sont le mal de tête et la bouche sèche.
Symptoms of a hangover are a headache and dry mouth.
Le meilleur remède à la gueule de bois est de ne pas consommer d’alcool.
The best remedy for a hangover is to not consume alcohol.
Expression lessons | Lessons by David Issokson
Related lessons
- La gueule – mouth, face
- Tomber dans les pommes – to faint
- Avoir le cafard – to be depressed
- Être soupe au lait – to get angry easily
- Être bête comme ses pieds – to be very stupid
- Être Aux Anges – To Be Over The Moon
