IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchDes grosses ficelles
Meaning: Crude, obvious tricks that fool nobody.
Literally: Thick strings
Example: “Le scénario repose sur de grosses ficelles : le méchant avoue tout à la fin.” — The plot relies on the oldest tricks in the book: the villain confesses everything at the end.
English equivalent: The oldest trick in the book
Equivalents in other languages
English: the oldest trick in the book
Origin: From marionettes, where the strings should be invisible and thick ones give the whole thing away. It is said of plots, arguments and rhetoric.
More French idioms
- Ronger son frein To wait in barely contained impatience.
- Jeter sa gourme To sow one's wild oats.
- Tirer à hue et à dia To pull in opposite directions; to work at cross purposes.
- Une grenouille de bénitier A woman conspicuously and tiresomely devout.
- Faire le pied de grue To stand around waiting for a long time.
- Crier haro sur le baudet To denounce someone publicly and unanimously.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Épanouissement The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Keep exploring