Avoir le pied marin

Meaning: To keep one's balance on a moving deck; to be unshaken by turbulence.

Literally: To have the sea foot

Example: “Même par gros temps, notre fille a le pied marin.” — Even in rough weather, our daughter has her sea legs.

English equivalent: To find one's sea legs

Equivalents in other languages

Origin: Sea legs are learned rather than given, which is the point of the phrase when it is used of a new job or a crisis.

Merde ! Good luck — said to a performer before going on stage.
Voilà pourquoi votre fille est muette Said of a grand explanation that explains nothing.
Passez, muscade ! Hey presto — said when something vanishes suspiciously conveniently.
Se croire le premier moutardier du pape To have a wildly inflated sense of one's own importance.
Mystère et boule de gomme Nobody has the faintest idea.
Promettre monts et merveilles To promise far more than could ever be delivered.

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

Chance Actually means 'luck'. Bonne chance! = Good luck! For chance (probability), say une possi…
Sympathique Actually means 'nice' or 'pleasant'. Il est très sympathique = He's very nice — not 'He's…
Rester Actually means 'to stay' or 'to remain'. Je reste ici = I'm staying here — not taking a n…

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