“Avoir la gueule de bois” is one of the most common of all the French expressions and idioms. The literal translation is “to have a mouth of wood”. English equivalents including include:
- to have a hangover
It is believed that this expressions dates to the 18th or 19th century with the la gueule (French slang for mouth) being said to be as dry as wood.
Here’s an example sentence:
- Il a trop bu hier soir. Quand il s’est levé ce matin il a vomit et il avait la gueule de bois. He drank too much yesterday. When he got up this morning he vomited and had a hangover.
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
