The French expression “être pendu aux basques de quelqu’un” translates literally to “to be hanging from somebody’s tailes”. Les basques are old-fashioned garment which hung down from the waist. Here are some English meanings:
- to stick to somebody like glue
- to be clingy (to somebody)
- to hang onto somebody’s apron strings
A good French synonymous adjective is “collant” which literally means sticky but actually means clingy. Expressio.fr gives the following French definition: “suivre quelqu’un de très près”, to follow somebody very closely. Here’s an example sentence:
Speed up your learning with the right audio course
My friend, Camille, at Frenchtoday.com has helped thousands of students to build a solid base in their French speaking since 1999. She is now offering all of her audio courses at 20% off until September 4th. Click here to learn more!
- La petite Marie est toujours pendu aux basques de sa grand-mère. Elle la suit partout! Little Marie sticks to her grandmother like glue. She follows her everywhere!
In French there’s another wonderful expression for “pendu aux basques”:
- ne pas lâcher qqn d’une semelle – Literal translation: to not let go of somebody by one shoe sole.
Here’s another great related expression:
- Lâche-moi les basques! – Leave me alone!
Recommended courses from Frenchtoday.com
- 10 Ways To Say Excuse Me In French Beyond “Excusez-Moi” - September 28, 2022
- Stromae — Fils de Joie (French Lyrics & English Translation) - September 21, 2022
- Amir & Indila — Carrousel Lyrics & English Translation - September 6, 2022
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.
