Bec et ongles is a French idiom that translates literally to “beak and fingernails” and means “tooth and nail”. The expression se défendre bec et ongles means “to defend yourself tooth and nail” and se battre bec et ongles mean “to fight tooth and nail”.
bec et ongles
tooth and nail
Pronunciation [bɛk e ɔ̃gl]
Example sentence
Je me suis battu bec et ongles pour atteindre mon objectif.
I fought tooth and nail to reach my goal.
Le pays s’est défendu bec et ongles contre son ennemi.
The country defended itself tooth and nail against its enemy.
Grammatical notes
- Both se battre (to fight) and se défendre (to defend yourself) are reflexive verbs. These verbs always use être (to be) as the auxiliary verb when conjugated in the passé composé.
- Bec translates literally to “beak” (of a bird) or spout and is also slang for mouth.
- Translations for atteindre include to reach, to attain and to get to.
- There are two words used for objective or goal in French: un objectif and un but.
- Pays (country) has two syllables and is pronounced pay-ee or [pe-i] and not “pay”.
Related expressions
- Vive la France ! Long live France!
- Fais gaffe! Be careful! Watch out!
- Avoir une dent contre quelqu’un – to have a grudge
- Casser les pieds – to annoy
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
