IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchÀ beau mentir qui vient de loin
Meaning: Travelers' tales cannot be checked, so they are told without restraint.
Literally: He who comes from afar may lie freely
Example: “Il raconte avoir chassé le tigre en Inde ; à beau mentir qui vient de loin.” — He claims he hunted tigers in India; who's going to check a traveler's tale?
Origin: A medieval proverb from an age when almost nobody could verify a claim about anywhere else. Beau here carries its old sense of having free rein rather than being handsome.
More French idioms
- Affirmer mordicus To insist on something absolutely and refuse to be moved.
- Être dans les bras de Morphée To be fast asleep.
- Prendre au mot To hold someone to exactly what they said.
- Un moulin à paroles Someone who talks incessantly.
- Sainte Nitouche A woman who feigns innocence she does not have.
- Le nerf de la guerre Money, as the thing without which nothing can be done.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Prudence est mère de sûreté Being careful is what keeps you safe.
- L'absence est à l'amour ce qu'est au feu le vent Separation kills a weak love and strengthens a strong one.
- On ne fait pas boire un âne qui n'a pas soif You can't force someone to do what they don't want to do.
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