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être au four et au moulin

The French expression “être au four et au moulin” translates literally to “to be at the oven and at the mill”.

English meanings:

  • to wear too many hats
  • to have too many irons in the fire
  • to burn the candle at both ends

French meanings:

  • être débordé de travailto be overwhelmed with work
  • courir partout, s’occuper de toutto run around everywhere, taking care of everything

Example sentence:

  • Je travaille jour et nuit. Je ne dors pas assez et je suis très fatigué. Je suis au four et au moulin et je devrais me reposer un peu. I’m working night and day and I’m very tired. I have too many irons in the fire and I should rest a bit.

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David Issokson

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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