The French expression “en deux coups de cuillère à pot” translates directly to “in two ladle fulls from the pot.”
English meanings:
- in no time
- in two shakes of a lamb’s tale
French meaning:
- très rapidement, sans difficulté – very quickly, without difficulty
Note: that you an also say, “en trois coups de cuillère à pot” (in three ladle fulls from the pot). The metaphor is that the ladle fulls are being scooped out of the pot in quick succession.
Sample sentence:
- Pierre lit très rapidement. Il a fini le roman en deux coups de cuillère à pot. Pierre reads very fast. He finished the book in no time.
Synonymous expressions to say “in no time”:
- en un rien de temps – Lit: in a nothing of time
- en moins de temps qu’il ne faut pour le dire – Lit: in less time that’s necessary to say it
- en moins de deux – Lit: in less than two
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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.
