IdiomFood & Drink
French
FrenchDes économies de bouts de chandelle
Meaning: Petty economies that save nothing worth having.
Literally: Candle-end savings
Example: “Supprimer le café des employés, ce sont des économies de bouts de chandelle.” — Cutting the staff's coffee is penny wise and pound foolish.
English equivalent: Penny wise and pound foolish
Origin: Collecting the stubs of burnt-down candles to melt into new ones was genuine household thrift, and genuinely negligible next to any real expense. The phrase mocks the proportion, not the frugality.
More French idioms
- Avoir les coudées franches To have complete freedom of action.
- Battre sa coulpe To publicly acknowledge one's own wrongdoing.
- Le petit doigt sur la couture du pantalon Standing rigidly to attention; obeying without question.
- Ôter une épine du pied à quelqu'un To relieve someone of a persistent difficulty.
- Un écorché vif Someone painfully hypersensitive to everything around them.
- Se croire sorti de la cuisse de Jupiter To have an absurdly high opinion of one's own importance.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon You only know what someone can do when they are put to the test.
- Les grands esprits se rencontrent Clever people tend to have the same ideas; usually said with a smile when two people thin…
- Qui se sent morveux, qu'il se mouche If a criticism applies to you, take it to heart.
Keep exploring