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sur les chapeaux de roues

The French expression “sur les chapeaux de roues” translates directly to “on the hub caps”.

English meanings:

  • at top speed
  • at full throttle

French meanings:

  • sans pause, à fond – without taking a break, to the max
  • à grande vitesse – Lit: at big speed

Example sentence:

  • Matin conduisait sur les chapeaux de rues quand il s’est fait arrêter par la police. Martin was driving at top speed when he got stopped by the police.

Synonyms for “at top speed”:

  • à tombeau ouvert – Lit: at an open tomb
  • à fond la caisse – Lit: the box to the max (maximum)
  • à toute berzingue – Lit: at all high ball

more expressions

    David Issokson

    About the Author โ€“ 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. ๐Ÿ“˜ About David ยป ๐ŸŒ Davidโ€™s personal site ยป ๐Ÿ‘ Follow on Facebook ยป

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