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tirer sur l’ambulance

The French expression “tirer sur l’ambulance” translates literally to “to shoot at the ambulance”. English meanings or equivalent idioms include:

  • to throw somebody under the bus
  • to kick somebody when they’re down
  • to pour water on a drowning man
  • to flog a dead horse

French meanings on expressio.fr translate to “to oppress somebody when they’re in a desperate situation and “to set upon somebody when their fate is already challenged”.

Here’s an example sentence:

  • On doit soutenir ceux qui travaille pour lutter contre le racisme, pas tirer sur l’ambulance. We have to support those who are fighting racism, now kick them when they’re down.

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    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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