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Doré sur tranche

Meaning: Extremely wealthy; luxuriously appointed.

Language: French

Literally: Gilded on the edge

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Fine books had their page edges gilded, a finish that added nothing to the reading and a great deal to the price. Applied to a person, it means the gilding is the point.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • Le bout du tunnel — The first sign that a long difficulty is ending.
  • Brûler ses vaisseaux — To destroy any possibility of retreat.
  • Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà — What counts as true depends on which side of a border you stand.
  • Un vieux de la vieille — A veteran of long standing.
  • En quatrième vitesse — At top speed; as fast as possible.
  • Au temps pour moi — My mistake.

More French idioms

  • 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.
  • 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.

From our compliments & insults

  • Tu as de la répartie — You're brilliantly quick-witted — always ready with the perfect comeback.
  • T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre — You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
  • Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.

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