IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchÉclairer la lanterne de quelqu'un
Meaning: To supply the missing detail that lets someone finally understand.
Literally: To light someone's lantern
Example: “Je ne comprends rien à ce graphique, tu peux m'éclairer la lanterne ?” — I can't make heads or tails of this chart; can you shed some light on it for me?
English equivalent: To shed light on something
Equivalents in other languages
English: shed light on
Origin: From Florian's 18th-century fable Le Singe qui montre la lanterne magique, in which a monkey grandly presents a magic-lantern show to an audience sitting in pitch darkness, straining to see. He had forgotten just one thing: to light his lantern. The phrase first meant omitting the essential point, then shifted to supplying it.
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