IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchFaire la cour à quelqu'un
Meaning: To court someone romantically.
Literally: To make the court to someone
Example: “Tout l'été, il a fait la cour à la fille du boulanger.” — All summer long, he courted the baker's daughter.
English equivalent: To set one's cap at someone
Equivalents in other languages
English: set one's cap at
Origin: From the elaborate attendance paid to a monarch at court, where advancement depended on visible and sustained deference. Applied to courtship, it implies effort and ceremony rather than mere interest.
More French idioms
- Porter la culotte To be the one who makes the decisions in a household.
- N'en avoir cure To be entirely indifferent to something.
- Virer sa cuti To undergo a complete change of convictions.
- Au grand dam de quelqu'un To someone's considerable detriment or annoyance.
- Trouver son chemin de Damas To undergo a sudden and total conversion.
- Une épée de Damoclès A disaster hanging over someone, liable to fall at any moment.
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