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ménager la chèvre et le chou

The French expression “ménager la chèvre et le chou” translates literally to “to take care of the goat and the cabbage”.

English meaning:

  • to keep both parties happy
  • run with the hare and hunt with the hounds (UK expression)

French meaning:

  • ne pas prendre parti – to not take sides

Example sentence:

  • Les promoteurs immobiliers se disputent sans arrêt avec les écologistes et la commune doit ménager la chèvre et le chou. The real estate developers are arguing incessantly with the environmentalists and the municipality has to keep both sides happy.

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    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. David creates clear, structured lessons supported by native audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, he has taught hundreds of learners worldwide and publishes daily French lessons for more than 12,000 email subscribers. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

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