avoir un chat dans la gorge
Meaning: Having difficulty speaking due to hoarseness or a sore throat.
Language: French
Literally: to have a cat in the throat
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The sensation of a scratchy throat resembles a cat's rough texture.
Equivalents in other languages
- English: To have a frog in your throat
More idioms — Body & Senses
- avoir un bleu — Having a bruise on the skin from impact or injury.
- avoir une dent contre quelqu'un — Holding a grudge or resentment toward someone.
- avoir le trac — Feeling nervous or anxious before a performance or important event.
- avoir une grosse tête — Being arrogant, conceited, or thinking highly of oneself.
- avoir la chair de poule — Experiencing fear, cold, or emotional reaction causing skin reaction.
- mettre son doigt sur la plaie — Identifying the exact problem or sensitive issue in a situation.
More French idioms
- se battre contre les moulins à vent — Fighting a hopeless battle against something immovable or pointless.
- faire ses choux gras — Profiting greatly from a situation at someone else's expense.
- avoir un tuyau — Having inside information or a useful tip about something.
- être à court de — Lacking or running low on something essential.
- prendre ses rêves pour des réalités — Confusing fantasy with reality; living in delusion.
- faire la pluie et le beau temps — Having complete control over a situation or someone's fate.
From our untranslatable words
- L'esprit de l'escalier — Thinking of the perfect comeback only after the moment has passed — on your way down the…
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.