Chercher midi à quatorze heures
Meaning: To overcomplicate a simple matter.
Language: French
Literally: To look for noon at two in the afternoon
Category: The Absurd
Origin: French expression from the 16th century.
More idioms — The Absurd
- se battre contre les moulins à vent — Fighting a hopeless battle against something immovable or pointless.
- prendre ses rêves pour des réalités — Confusing fantasy with reality; living in delusion.
- tirer les vers du nez — Getting someone to reveal information they want to keep secret.
- faire un bide — Experiencing complete failure or lack of success.
- faire un couac — Making an embarrassing mistake or producing a discordant sound.
- estar en la luna de Valencia — Completely distracted or absent-minded, oblivious to what's happening around you.
More French idioms
- Appeler un chat un chat — To call things by their proper name; to speak bluntly.
- Donner sa langue au chat — To give up trying to guess the answer.
- Avoir un poil dans la main — To be extremely lazy.
- Prendre ses jambes à son cou — To run away very fast.
- C'est la croix et la bannière — It is an enormous effort or ordeal.
- Faire la fine bouche — To be overly picky or hard to please.
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