Peigner la girafe is a fun French expression that has the literal translation “to comb the giraffe”. Meanings of this expression include: “to twiddle your thumbs”, “to fiddle about doing nothing”, “to do busy work” and “to do a pointless task”.
Peigner la girafe
to twiddle your thumbs
Example sentences
J’en ai marre de ce travail ! Je peigne la girafe toute la journée !
I’m sick of this work. I fiddle about doing nothing all day long.
Qu’est-ce que je fais aujourd’hui ? Je m’ennuie et je peigne la girafe.
What am I doing today? I’m bored and I’m twiddling my thumbs.
Expression origin
The exact origin is uncertain. Combing a giraffe may be a metaphor for combing the animal’s long neck and mane, a long and useless job. The expression may date from the early 19th century when the Khedive of Egypte gifted a giraffe to King Charles X. The giraffe’s caretaker was said to have combed the animal so that it looked good.
Reference
