FrenchAvoir le compas dans l'œil
Meaning: Having excellent judgment of distance, measurement, or proportion.
Literally: To have a compass in the eye
Example: “Pas besoin de mètre, mon grand-père a le compas dans l'œil.” — No need for a tape measure; my grandfather can measure things by eye.
Origin: Saint-Simon has it in his Mémoires in the 18th century, writing about Louis XIV's own eye for measurement, though the phrase is sometimes attributed instead to Michelangelo, and no source manages to settle which claim, if either, is the real first use. Compas — a compass, in the drafting sense, for measuring angles and distances — comes from Latin compassus. The same root also produced the verb compasser, to measure out with one's own pace, which is why French has a small family of expressions tying the compas to legs and walking as much as to the eye — all variations on judging distance without an instrument in hand.
More French idioms
- Faire la soupe à la grimace To sulk; to give someone a sour, unwelcoming face, especially at home.
- Avoir la bougeotte To be restless; unable to stay put, always wanting to travel or move somewhere new.
- Être aux petits soins To wait on someone hand and foot; to lavish care and attention on them.
- Montrer les dents Displaying aggression, defiance, or readiness to fight.
- Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre Taking more food than one can actually eat; wanting too much.
- Être un ours Being unfriendly, grumpy, and difficult to approach socially.
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