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sentir le lapin

The French expression “sentir le lapin” translates literally to “to smell the rabbit”.

English meaning:

  • to have one foot in the grave

French meaning:

  • être près de la fin de la vie – to be near the end of life

Example sentence:

  • Sylvain est malade depuis très longtemps et il ne va pas bien : ça sent le lapin. Sylvain has been sick for a very long time and he’s not going well. He has one foot in the grave.

Related expression:

  • avoir un pied dans la tombe – Literally: to have one foot in the grave

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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