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Rester le bec dans l’eau

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The French expression “rester le bec dans l’eau” translates literally to “to stay with the mouth in the water”.

English meanings:

  • to be left high and dry
  • to be left in the lurch

French meanings:

  • déçu après avoir espéré quelque chosedisappointed after having had hoped for something
  • qui n’a plus rien not having anything anymore

Example sentence:

Au dernier moment. l’hôtel a annuel ma réservation et je me suis trouvé le bec dans l’eau. The hotel cancelled my reservation at the last minute and I was left high and dry.

Synonyms:

  • être en planto be left high and dry
  • planter quelqu’unto leave somebody high and dry
  • laisser quelqu’un se débrouiller tout seul – to leave somebody in the lurch

    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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