IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchC'est le chien de Jean de Nivelle
Meaning: Said of someone who makes himself scarce precisely when he is called.
Literally: It's Jean de Nivelle's dog
Example: “Dès qu'il y a la vaisselle à faire, mon frère, c'est le chien de Jean de Nivelle.” — Whenever there are dishes to do, my brother makes himself scarce.
Origin: Jean de Nivelle, a 15th-century nobleman, refused his father's summons to arms and fled instead. Because chien puns on the name, the story attached itself to a dog that runs away when called, and the man's disgrace survived as an animal proverb.
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