
IdiomDaily Life
French
Frappé au coin du bon sens
Meaning: Manifestly sensible; bearing the stamp of sound judgment.
Literally: Struck with the die of good sense
Example: “Sa proposition de décaler les horaires est frappée au coin du bon sens.” — Her proposal to stagger the hours is plain common sense.
Origin: The coin here is the engraved die used to strike coinage, not a corner. A coin bearing the official mark was guaranteed genuine, so an argument struck with the die of good sense carries the same warrant.
More French idioms
- La corde au cou Entirely at someone's mercy; forced to submit on any terms.
- Tenir la corde To be in the best position to win.
- Tenir les cordons du poêle To be a pallbearer at a funeral, as a mark of honor.
- La corne d'abondance A source of inexhaustible abundance.
- Un choix cornélien A dilemma in which every option requires sacrificing something one is bound to.
- À son corps défendant Reluctantly; against one's own will.
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