IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchDécrocher la lune
Meaning: To achieve the impossible — or, promised, to offer what cannot be delivered.
Literally: To unhook the moon
Example: “Pendant la campagne, il promettait de décrocher la lune pour chaque village.” — During the campaign, he promised the moon to every village.
English equivalent: To promise the moon
Other ways to say this
- French: Promettre monts et merveilles Literally: To promise mountains and marvels
English: promise the moon
Origin: The moon stands as the thing fixed permanently out of reach. French uses all three verbs with it: promettre la lune to promise it, demander la lune to ask for it, and décrocher la lune to actually manage it.
More French idioms
- Veiller au grain To stay alert for trouble.
- Tomber des hallebardes To rain extremely hard.
- L'été indien A spell of unseasonably warm weather in autumn.
- La partie émergée de l'iceberg The small visible portion of a much larger problem.
- Faire flèche de tout bois To use every available means to achieve an end.
- Blanchir sous le harnais To grow old in a profession.
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