IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchÀ bon entendeur, salut
Meaning: A word to the wise — take the hint.
Literally: To the good listener, greetings
Example: “Le prochain qui laisse traîner sa vaisselle la retrouvera dans son lit. À bon entendeur, salut !” — The next person who leaves dirty dishes lying around will find them in their bed. A word to the wise!
English equivalent: A word to the wise
Equivalents in other languages
English: a word to the wise
Origin: Salut here is the old sense of well-being rather than a greeting, so the sense is that whoever understands will be fine. It is invariably said to someone who has just been warned.
More French idioms
- Ce n'est pas une sinécure It is not an easy job.
- Une chasse aux sorcières A campaign of persecution driven by suspicion rather than evidence.
- Pas besoin de sortir de Saint-Cyr It doesn't take a genius to work that out.
- Faire table rase To sweep everything away and start from nothing.
- Prendre le taureau par les cornes To tackle a difficulty head-on instead of avoiding it.
- Les vaches maigres A period of hardship and scarcity — the opposite of les vaches grasses.
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