Des vertes et des pas mûres
Meaning: Shocking or outrageous things — and, by extension, a very rough time of it.
Language: French
Literally: Some green ones and some unripe ones
Category: The Absurd
Origin: It looks like a phrase saying the same thing twice, since green fruit is unripe fruit and the 13th century did contrast le vert with le mûr to mean exactly that, green wheat against ripe. But the green here is not in any fruit. The early-15th-century form was en bailler de belles, des vertes et des mûres, meaning to tell filthy stories, and vert carries the slang sense it still has today: off-color, risqué. Mûr had meant grown-up since the 11th century, as it does in l'âge mûr — and off-color stories are for adults only, obviously. The pas was added later, turning the second half into what looks like a comic repetition of the first, which it only is for people who have lost the thread. Preceded by en entendre or en raconter, the phrase keeps that original sense. Preceded by en voir, it has drifted from outrageous things to merely bad ones, and means you have been through the mill.
More idioms — The Absurd
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
- C'est comme pisser dans un violon — A completely pointless effort.
- Da steppt der Bär — It's going to be a great party.
- Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift — I can't believe it! That's outrageous!
- Estar como una cabra — To be completely crazy.
- Fare il diavolo a quattro — To raise absolute hell; to cause a huge scene.
More French idioms
- Prendre une veste — To suffer a defeat, especially at the polls.
- Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
- Poser un lapin — To stand someone up on a date.
- Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
- Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez — To be getting angry.
- Pédaler dans la semoule — To be confused and getting nowhere.
From our tongue twisters
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. — The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? — A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
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