allonger pour le compte
Meaning: To knock someone out in a boxing match; to fell someone.
Language: French
Literally: to lengthen for the count
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From boxing terminology, where a boxer is counted out when knocked down for the full count (typically ten seconds).
More idioms — Daily Life
- avancer masqué — To act in a hidden or anonymous way, concealing one's intentions or identity.
- passer un savon — To scold or rebuke someone harshly.
- baisser pavillon — To concede defeat or accept inferiority; to surrender.
- être dos au mur — To be in a desperate situation with no way to retreat or escape.
- chercher des misères — To deliberately provoke a quarrel with someone.
- retourner à la case départ — To find oneself back where one began, as if no progress had been made.
More French idioms
- tenir du miracle — To be exceptional or extraordinary; to have a miraculous quality.
- ne pas fermer l’œil de la nuit — To be unable to sleep; to stay awake all night.
- réduire la voilure — To cut back on spending, resources, or ambitions.
- se mettre la rate au court-bouillon — To worry pointlessly and obsessively over something.
- prendre à la gorge — To seize someone or something forcefully; to make breathing or speech difficult; to trigg…
- regarder la pointe de ses souliers — To lower one's eyes in embarrassment or shame.
From our untranslatable words
- L'esprit de l'escalier — Thinking of the perfect comeback only after the moment has passed — on your way down the…
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.