Des manœuvres florentines
Meaning: Devious, elaborately indirect political scheming.
Language: French
Literally: Florentine maneuvers
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Renaissance Florence, the Medici and Machiavelli between them gave the adjective its permanent association with subtlety practiced for its own sake. It is applied to French party politics with some relish.
More idioms — Daily Life
- De bonne foi — Sincerely, without intent to deceive.
- S'attirer les foudres de quelqu'un — To bring down someone's wrath on oneself.
- Ne pas pouvoir être au four et au moulin — To be unable to be in two places at once.
- Épater la galerie — To show off for the benefit of onlookers.
- Sans crier gare — Without any warning at all.
- Une promesse de Gascon — A promise nobody expects to be kept.
More French idioms
- Vouer aux gémonies — To denounce someone publicly and utterly.
- Cousin germain — A first cousin.
- Faire partie du Gotha — To belong to the highest society.
- Des goûts et des couleurs on ne discute pas — There is no arguing with personal preference.
- Mettre le grappin sur quelque chose — To get one's hooks into something and not let go.
- De gré ou de force — Willingly or unwillingly; one way or another.
From our tongue twisters
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. — A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
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