À tombeau ouvert
Meaning: At reckless, life-threatening speed.
Language: French
Literally: With the tomb open
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The grave is figured as already dug and waiting, so the speed is not merely dangerous but presumptuous. It is used almost exclusively of driving and riding.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Être mis sur la touche — To be sidelined and left out of things.
- Botter en touche — To dodge a question by changing the subject.
- Une tour d'ivoire — A position of deliberate detachment from ordinary life.
- La tournée des grands-ducs — A lavish night out taking in every fashionable establishment.
- Un coup de Trafalgar — A sudden catastrophic reversal, often felt to be underhand.
- Doré sur tranche — Extremely wealthy; luxuriously appointed.
More French idioms
- Le bout du tunnel — The first sign that a long difficulty is ending.
- Brûler ses vaisseaux — To destroy any possibility of retreat.
- Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà — What counts as true depends on which side of a border you stand.
- Un vieux de la vieille — A veteran of long standing.
- En quatrième vitesse — At top speed; as fast as possible.
- Au temps pour moi — My mistake.
From our proverbs
- A full purse makes the mouth to speak. — Wealth emboldens people to voice opinions they might otherwise suppress through fear or s…
- A full purse never lacketh friends. — Wealth attracts companions, but their loyalty evaporates when money disappears.
- Touch a galled horse, and he will wince. — Inflicting pain on someone already wounded guarantees a sharp, defensive reaction.
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