Avoir un cadavre dans le placard
Meaning: To have a discreditable secret in one's past.
Language: French
Literally: To have a corpse in the cupboard
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A calque of the English skeleton in the closet, which spread in the 19th century alongside stories of bodies hidden by respectable households. French made the body fresher than the English one.
More idioms — Daily Life
- C'est le cadet de mes soucis — It is the very least of my concerns.
- Fumer le calumet de la paix — To make peace after a quarrel.
- Enterrer la hache de guerre — To end a feud and set hostilities aside.
- Carpe diem — Make the most of the present rather than counting on the future.
- S'aplatir comme une carpette — To grovel; to let oneself be walked over.
- Rester sur le carreau — To be knocked out of the running; to be left for dead.
More French idioms
- Rouler carrosse — To live in grand style.
- Donner carte blanche — To grant someone complete freedom to act as they see fit.
- Tourner casaque — To switch sides or change allegiance.
- Retourner sa veste — To change one's allegiance opportunistically.
- Coiffer Sainte Catherine — To reach twenty-five while still unmarried — said of a woman.
- Être sujet à caution — To be unreliable; not to be taken at face value.
From our false friends
- Rester — Actually means 'to stay' or 'to remain'. Je reste ici = I'm staying here — not taking a n…
- Attendre — Actually means 'to wait for'. J'attends le bus = I'm waiting for the bus. For attend an e…
- Actuel — Actually means 'current' or 'present-day'. Actuellement = currently — not 'actually'.
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