French Expressions

The French expression “cousu de fil blanc” translates literally to “sewn or stitched in white thread”. English meanings include: The idea is that if a dark-colored garment is sewn with a white piece of thread, the thread sticks out very clearly to the eye. Expressio.fr suggests the following definitions in French: 1) Very crude and …

Faire l’école buissonnière is a French expression meaning to play hooky.

Jouer l’arlésienne is a French expression meaning to fail to materialize.

Avoir le couteau sous la gorge is a French idiom that literally to “to have a knife under the throat” and means “to be under the gun”.

Bec et ongles is a French idiom that translates literally to “beak and fingernails” and means “tooth and nail”.