IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchAu diable vauvert
Meaning: Miles from anywhere; the back of beyond.
Literally: At the devil's Vauvert
Example: “Ils ont acheté une maison au diable vauvert, à une heure de la première boulangerie.” — They bought a house in the middle of nowhere, an hour from the nearest bakery.
English equivalent: In the middle of nowhere
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: Onde Judas perdeu as botas Literally: Where Judas lost his boots
Italian: a casa del diavolo Literally: At the house of the devil
Russian: за тридевять земель (za tridevyat' zemel') Literally: Beyond three-times-nine lands
English: in the middle of nowhere
Origin: The château de Vauvert, outside Paris, stood abandoned and was widely held to be haunted after Philippe Auguste's excommunication. Going there meant going somewhere both remote and ill-omened, and the phrase kept the distance while shedding the demons.
More French idioms
- Au creux de la vague At a low point, with the expectation that things will rise again.
- Nager entre deux eaux To avoid committing to either side.
- Une coupe sombre A drastic reduction, especially of staff or budget.
- Nettoyer les écuries d'Augias To clear up a vast accumulated mess, usually of corruption.
- Aux quatre coins de All over; in every part of a place.
- Frappé au coin du bon sens Manifestly sensible; bearing the stamp of sound judgment.
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