IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchÊtre une lumière
Meaning: To be highly intelligent — used almost exclusively in the negative.
Literally: To be a light
Example: “Son cousin est gentil, mais ce n'est pas une lumière.” — His cousin is nice, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
English equivalent: Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Equivalents in other languages
English: not the sharpest tool in the shed
Origin: Light for understanding is old and ordinary, as in the Enlightenment's own Lumières (the Lights). What is distinctive is that French now says it almost only as ce n'est pas une lumière.
More French idioms
- Avoir maille à partir avec quelqu'un To have a quarrel or a bone to pick with someone.
- Faire main basse sur quelque chose To seize something wholesale.
- S'en laver les mains To disclaim all responsibility for an outcome.
- Tout le saint-frusquin The whole lot; everything one owns.
- Des yeux de merlan frit A soppy, languishing look.
- Payer en monnaie de singe To pay with worthless promises instead of money.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Quel râleur / quelle râleuse You never stop moaning — everything is a complaint, nothing is ever good enough.
- Peau de vache A mean, difficult, and unpleasant person — tough and unyielding like tanned hide.
- Tu as une cervelle de moineau You're scatterbrained and forgetful.
Keep exploring