The French expression “tenir la jambe à quelqu’un” translates literally to “to hold somebody’s leg”.
English meanings:
- to buttonhole
- to accost, force to converse
- to have somebody in a corner
- to not let somebody go (in conversation)
French meanings:
- retenir quelqu’un en lui parlant longtemps – Lit: to hold or detain somebody speaking to him or her for a long time
Example sentence:
- Je suis arrivé à la réunion en retard parce que j’ai croisé mon ami dans la rue et il m’a tenu la jambe. I arrived to the meeting late because I bumped into my friend in the street and wouldn’t let me go.
Synonyms:
- aborder/accoster quelqu’un au sujet de quelque chose – Lit: to start or accost somebody on a subject
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
