Battre en brèche
Meaning: To attack a position or argument until it collapses.
Language: French
Literally: To beat into a breach
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Siege artillery concentrated fire on one section of a wall to open a breach for the assault. Applied to argument, it describes methodical demolition of a single point rather than scattered objection.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Une brève de comptoir — An overheard bar-room witticism, usually absurd and unintentionally profound.
- Cela va faire du bruit dans Landerneau — That is going to cause a stir.
- Brut de décoffrage — Rough, unpolished, delivered without any finishing.
- De but en blanc — Point-blank; abruptly and without preparation.
- Avoir un cadavre dans le placard — To have a discreditable secret in one's past.
- C'est le cadet de mes soucis — It is the very least of my concerns.
More French idioms
- 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.
- Rouler carrosse — To live in grand style.
From our false friends
- Librairie — Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
- Pain — Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
- Coin — Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
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