IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchBon an, mal an
Meaning: On average, taking the good years with the bad; year in, year out.
Literally: Good year, bad year
Example: “Bon an, mal an, la ferme produit deux tonnes de pommes.” — Year in, year out, the farm produces two tons of apples.
English equivalent: Year in, year out
Equivalents in other languages
English: year in, year out
Origin: Farming arithmetic. A harvest cannot be judged by one season, so the good and lean years are averaged together — the same reasoning as the parallel bon gré, mal gré, willing or not.
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