Faire chou blanc
Meaning: To draw a complete blank; to fail.
Language: French
Literally: To make a white cabbage
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: From an old game of skittles where 'coup blanc' (a missed shot) was misheard as 'chou blanc'.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Ramener sa fraise — To butt in or show off uninvited.
- To bite off more than you can chew — To take on more than you can handle.
- To take with a pinch of salt — To regard a claim with healthy skepticism.
- To butter someone up — To flatter someone to win their favor.
- Das ist nicht das Gelbe vom Ei — It's not ideal; not quite good enough.
- Alles in Butter — Everything is fine and under control.
More French idioms
- Avoir une araignée au plafond — To be a little crazy.
- Ça m'en touche une sans faire bouger l'autre — I couldn't care less; it leaves me utterly indifferent.
- Prendre son pied — To take intense pleasure; to have a wonderful time.
- Il pleut comme vache qui pisse — It's pouring down — a crude, vivid way to say the rain is coming down extremely hard.
- Mettre la puce à l'oreille — To arouse someone's suspicion or make them uneasy about something.
- Sortir de ses gonds — To fly into a rage; to lose one's temper suddenly and violently.
From our false friends
- Coin — Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
- Chance — Actually means 'luck'. Bonne chance! = Good luck! For chance (probability), say une possi…
- Sympathique — Actually means 'nice' or 'pleasant'. Il est très sympathique = He's very nice — not 'He's…