The French idiom tomber dans les pommes translates literally to “to fall in the apples” and means “to faint” or “to pass out”. The verb tomber meaning “to fall” and pomme means apple. French-to-French definitions are s’évanouir and s’effondrer.
tomber dans les pommes
to faint
Expression origin
The origins of this expression are unclear. According to Expressio.fr, the expression first appeared in 1889, with pomme possibly being related to se pâmer, which means”to faint”.
The expression may also be related to the French author, George Sand’s line être dans les pommes cuites (to be in cooked apples), meaning a state of advanced fatigue.
Example sentences
Pierre ne peut pas supporter la vue du sang et a chaque fois qu’il en voit il tombe dans les pommes.
Pierre can’t stand the sight of blood and each time he sees it he faints.
Je n’aime pas écouter les détails médicaux et quand je les entends je tombe dans les pommes.
I don’t like listening to medical details and when I hear them I pass out.
Here are some related expressions with pomme (apple):
More expressions
- Avoir Le Cafard (Literally “to have the cockroach – to be depressed)
- Être dans la lune (to have you head in the clouds).
- Coup de foudre (love at first sight)
- Parler français comme une vache espagnole (to speak a language poorly)
- Être soupe au lait (quick to anger)
Lessons by David Issokson | French expressions
