IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchIl n'y a pas le feu au lac
Meaning: There's no rush.
Literally: The lake isn't on fire
Example: “Finis ton café tranquillement, il n'y a pas le feu au lac.” — Finish your coffee in peace; there's no rush.
English equivalent: To hold one's horses
Equivalents in other languages
English: hold one's horses
Origin: A French joke at Swiss expense, the lake being Lake Geneva — a body of water conspicuously incapable of catching light, and the Swiss conspicuously unhurried. Used to tell someone to calm down.
More French idioms
- Au creux de la vague At a low point, with the expectation that things will rise again.
- Nager entre deux eaux To avoid committing to either side.
- Une coupe sombre A drastic reduction, especially of staff or budget.
- Nettoyer les écuries d'Augias To clear up a vast accumulated mess, usually of corruption.
- Aux quatre coins de All over; in every part of a place.
- Frappé au coin du bon sens Manifestly sensible; bearing the stamp of sound judgment.
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