IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchAux quatre coins de
Meaning: All over; in every part of a place.
Literally: At the four corners of
Example: “Des supporters venus des quatre coins du pays ont envahi la ville.” — Fans from every corner of the country poured into the city.
English equivalent: The four corners of the earth
Equivalents in other languages
English: the four corners of the earth
Origin: The four corners are the cardinal points of the medieval world-picture, which is why the phrase works for round objects and globes without anyone objecting. It long predates any awareness of the contradiction.
More French idioms
- À cor et à cri Loudly and insistently; demanding something at the top of one's voice.
- La corde au cou Entirely at someone's mercy; forced to submit on any terms.
- Tenir la corde To be in the best position to win.
- Tenir les cordons du poêle To be a pallbearer at a funeral, as a mark of honor.
- La corne d'abondance A source of inexhaustible abundance.
- Un choix cornélien A dilemma in which every option requires sacrificing something one is bound to.
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