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Avoir le bras long

Meaning: To have influence and useful connections.

Language: French

Literally: To have a long arm

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: A long reach extends one's grasp into useful places; used figuratively in French since at least the 17th century.

More idioms — Body & Senses

  • Avoir le cœur sur la main — To be very generous and giving.
  • To cost an arm and a leg — To be extremely expensive.
  • Tener más cara que espalda — To be utterly shameless and brazen.
  • Non avere peli sulla lingua — To speak bluntly and hold nothing back.
  • Avere le mani bucate — To be a spendthrift.
  • Остаться с носом — To be left empty-handed or outwitted.

More French idioms

  • Découvrir le pot aux roses — To uncover a hidden secret.
  • Être dans de beaux draps — To be in a real mess.
  • Se faire rouler dans la farine — To be conned or deceived.
  • Tirer le diable par la queue — To struggle to make ends meet.
  • Passer du coq à l'âne — To switch topics abruptly and illogically.
  • Avoir le melon — To be bigheaded and conceited.

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