Faire son miel de quelque chose
Meaning: To turn something to one's own advantage.
Language: French
Literally: To make one's honey from something
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: Bees make honey from whatever is available, indifferent to the source. The phrase carries a faint suggestion that the profiteer is equally indifferent.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- La substantifique moelle — The essential substance of something, reached only by real effort.
- On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des œufs — Worthwhile results require some damage along the way.
- Refiler la patate chaude — To hand an awkward problem to someone else.
- Dans le pétrin — In serious trouble.
- Avoir du pain sur la planche — To have a great deal of work ahead.
- Manger son pain blanc en premier — To take the easy part at the start and leave the hard part for later.
More French idioms
- C'est du nanan — It is delicious — or, by extension, extremely easy.
- Être médusé — To be struck dumb with astonishment.
- Motus et bouche cousue — Not a word to anyone.
- À fleur de peau — Raw and easily provoked, of emotions; or just at the surface.
- Avoir bon pied bon œil — To be in excellent shape, especially for one's age.
- Avoir le pied marin — To keep one's balance on a moving deck; to be unshaken by turbulence.
From our proverbs
- What cannot be cured must be endured. — Accept hardships beyond your control rather than waste energy resisting the inevitable.
- Curses are like chickens, they come home to roost. — Malicious words and wishes eventually harm the person who spoke them, returning with cons…
- Once a use and ever a custom. — Repeated actions solidify into habits that become difficult to break or question.
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