rester en carafe

The French expression “rester en carafe” translates literally to “to stay in the decanter”. English meanings include the following:

• to be left stranded
• to be left high and dry
• to break down

Expressio.fr offers lots of interesting meanings: 1) To feel frustrated, abandoned and forgotten; 2) To be left on your own and 3) To not be able to find your words (when giving a speech). What’s more, the expression “tomber en carafe” means “tomber en panne” (to break down).

Here’s an example sentence:

• Le matin de la tempête de neige nous n’avons pas pu monter le col. On est resté en carafe et a attendu trois heures pour la dépanneuse. The morning of the snowstorm we weren’t able to get over the mountain pass. We were suck and waited three hours for the tow truck.

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