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une histoire à dormir debout

The French expression “une histoire à dormir debout” translates literally to “a story to sleep standing”. A loose translation is “a story about sleeping standing up”. Unbelievable, right? Here are some English meanings:

  • cock-and-bull story
  • tall story

The French expressions site, expressio.fr suggests “à dormir debout” means unbelievable, implausible, absurd or illogical.

  • Il m’a raconté comment il s’est battu dans chaque guerre depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale: ce sont des histoires à dormir debout! He hold me how he’d fought in each war since World War II. Cock-and-bull stories!

There’s another great synonymous expression for “une histoire a dormir debout:

  • une histoire sans queue ni têteA story with neither tail nor head

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David Issokson

David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

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