De but en blanc
Meaning: Point-blank; abruptly and without preparation.
Language: French
Literally: From butt to white
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From archery and early gunnery, where the but was the mound the target stood on and the blanc the white center. A shot taken straight from one to the other travels flat, without the arc of a ranged shot — hence directness.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Avoir un cadavre dans le placard — To have a discreditable secret in one's past.
- C'est le cadet de mes soucis — It is the very least of my concerns.
- Fumer le calumet de la paix — To make peace after a quarrel.
- Enterrer la hache de guerre — To end a feud and set hostilities aside.
- Carpe diem — Make the most of the present rather than counting on the future.
- S'aplatir comme une carpette — To grovel; to let oneself be walked over.
More French idioms
- Rester sur le carreau — To be knocked out of the running; to be left for dead.
- Rouler carrosse — To live in grand style.
- Donner carte blanche — To grant someone complete freedom to act as they see fit.
- Tourner casaque — To switch sides or change allegiance.
- Retourner sa veste — To change one's allegiance opportunistically.
- Coiffer Sainte Catherine — To reach twenty-five while still unmarried — said of a woman.
From our compliments & insults
- Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre — They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.
- Casse-pieds — A massive bore or pain in the neck — someone who wears you down with their irritating way…
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