IdiomNature
French
FrenchBlanchir sous le harnais
Meaning: To grow old in a profession.
Literally: To grow white under the harness
Example: “Ce commissaire a blanchi sous le harnais ; plus rien ne le surprend.” — This police chief is an old hand; nothing surprises him anymore.
English equivalent: An old hand
Other ways to say this
- French: Un vieux de la vieille Literally: An old one of the old
English: an old hand
Origin: The harnais is armor rather than horse tack, so the figure is of a soldier whose hair has gone gray inside it. It implies long service and, usually, that it went unrewarded.
More French idioms
- De fil en aiguille One thing leading to another.
- Un fil d'Ariane A guiding thread through something impossibly complicated.
- En file indienne In single file, one behind another.
- Conter fleurette To woo someone with sweet talk.
- Des manœuvres florentines Devious, elaborately indirect political scheming.
- De bonne foi Sincerely, without intent to deceive.
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