IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchCe n'est pas une sinécure
Meaning: It is not an easy job.
Literally: It's no sinecure
Example: “Garder six petits-enfants pendant les vacances, ce n'est pas une sinécure.” — Looking after six grandchildren during the holidays is no picnic.
English equivalent: No picnic
Equivalents in other languages
English: no picnic
Origin: A sinecure was a church benefice held sine cura, without the care of souls — an income with no duties attached. The word survived the practice by several centuries.
More French idioms
- Prendre le taureau par les cornes To tackle a difficulty head-on instead of avoiding it.
- Les vaches maigres A period of hardship and scarcity — the opposite of les vaches grasses.
- Les vaches grasses A period of plenty.
- Aller comme un tablier à une vache To suit someone appallingly badly.
- Adorer le veau d'or To make money one's god.
- Une tunique de Nessus A gift that destroys the person who accepts it.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
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