Home Language HacksExpressions & Idioms 25 Funny French Idioms and Expressions You’ll Love Using

25 Funny French Idioms and Expressions You’ll Love Using

by Michele
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25 Funny French idioms and Common French Expressions
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Learning French? Don’t “have a cockroach”. Speak like a native with these 25 hilarious everyday French Idioms and expressions.

French is such a beautiful language, but I think we often overlook the French sense of humour which is omnipresent in their colourful expressions. Picking up common French expressions are a great way to learn more about the personality of French people and their culture. I’ve come across a lot of vulgar and offensive expressions, but I’ve tried to keep this article clean.

Let’s take a look at some funny French idioms.

1. He’s running on my bean

Translation: Il me court sur le haricot
Meaning: He’s annoying me
English Equivalent: He’s getting on my nerves

funny french idioms - Il me court sur le haricot

2. To pedal in semolina

Translation: Pédaler dans la semoule
Meaning: Have trouble doing something
English Equivalent: To go around in circles

funny french idioms - Pedaler dans la semoule

3. The habit doesn’t make the monk

Translation: L’habit ne fait pas le moine
Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving
English Equivalent: The suit doesn’t make the man

funny french idioms - l'habit ne fait pas le moine

4. To have the ass surrounded by noodles

Translation: Avoir le cul bordé de nouilles
Meaning: To be very lucky
English Equivalent: To be a lucky so-and-so

funny french idioms - Avoir le cul borde de nouilles

5. To have the cockroach

Translation: Avoir le cafard
Meaning: To feel down
English Equivalent: To feel blue

funny french idioms - avoir le cafard

6. To be in beautiful sheets

Translation: Être dans de beaux draps
Meaning: To be in a bad situation
English Equivalent: Be in a right mess, be up the creek without a paddle

funny french idioms - Etre dans de beaux draps

7. To make cheese out of it

Translation: En faire tout un fromage
Meaning: To make a big deal out of something
English Equivalent: Kick up a huge fuss

funny french idioms - En faire tout un fromage

8. It doesn’t break three legs of a duck

Translation: Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard
Meaning: It’s not that incredible
English Equivalent: Nothing to write home about

funny french idioms - ca ne casse pas trois pattes a un canard

9. Pissing in a violin

Translation: Pisser dans un violon
Meaning: To waste time on something futile
English Equivalent: Waste your breath, talk to a wall

funny french idioms - Pisser dans un violon

10. Mind your onions

Translation: Mêle-toi de tes oignons!
Meaning: Not to interfere or ask anything personal
English Equivalent: Mind your own business

funny french idioms - Mele-toi de tes oignons

11. It’s raining ropes

Translation: Il pleut des cordes
Meaning: It’s raining a lot
English Equivalent: It’s raining cats and dogs

funny french idioms - Il pleut des cordes

12. Let’s come back to our sheep

Translation: Revenons à nos moutons
Meaning: To go back to the original topic of conversation
English Equivalent: Let’s get back to business, get back on track

funny french idioms - Revenons a nos moutons

13. To have one’s ass between two chairs

Translation: Avoir le cul entre deux chaises
Meaning: To be undecided
English Equivalent: Sitting on the fence

funny french idioms - Avoir le cul entre deux chaises

14. Fingers in the nose

Translation: Les doigts dans le nez
Meaning: Easy to do
English Equivalent: With one hand tied behind your back, a piece of cake

funny french idioms - Les doigts dans le nez

15. To put a rabbit

Translation: Poser un lapin
Meaning: Not to show up to your date
English Equivalent: Stand somebody up

funny french idioms - poser un lapin

16. It gives me a beautiful leg

Translation: Ça me fait une belle jambe
Meaning: Not to care, couldn’t care less
English Equivalent: A fat lot of good that will do me

funny french idioms - Ca me fait une belle jambe

17. To be round as a shovel handle

Translation: être rond comme une queue de pelle
Meaning: That someone is very very drunk
English Equivalent: Drunk as a skunk

funny french idioms - etre rond comme une queue de pelle

18. Sing like a saucepan

Translation: Chanter comme une casserole
Meaning: Someone who really can’t sing
English Equivalent: Sing flat

funny french idioms - Chanter comme une casserole

19. Eat the dandelions by the root

Translation: Manger les pissenlits par la racine
Meaning: To be dead
English Equivalent: Push up daisies

funny french idioms - Manger les pissenlits par la racine

20. Drown the fish

Translation: Noyer le poisson
Meaning: Avoid a subject by talking about everything and anything else.
English Equivalent: Confuse the issue

funny french idioms - Noyer le poisson

21. Don’t push Granny into the nettles!

Translation: Faut pas pousser mamie dans les orties
Meaning: Don’t go too far don’t exaggerate
English Equivalent: Don’t push it!

funny french idioms - Faut pas pousser mamie dans les orties

 

22. To get or receive a rake

Translation: Se prendre un râteau
Meaning: To fail in an attempt
English Equivalent: Get knocked back, be shot down in flames

funny french idioms - Se prendre un rateau

23. To swallow snakes

Translation: Avaler des couleuvres
Meaning: To be gullible
English Equivalent: A dumb bunny

funny french idioms - Avaler des couleuvres

24. Make a fish tail

Translation: Faire une queue de poisson
Meaning: Over take someone closely
English Equivalent: Cut someone off

funny french idioms - Faire une queue de poisson

25. It’s the end of the beans

Translation: C’est la fin des haricots
Meaning: Nothing more can be done
English Equivalent: Game over!

funny french idioms - C'est la fin des haricots


Want more? Watch my video of my top 10 favourite French expressions


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25 Funny French idioms and Common French Expressions

 


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Over to you!

Which of these French expressions is your favourite? Do you know any other funny French expressions?
Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

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