Il y a anguille sous roche
Meaning: Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
Language: French
Literally: There is an eel under the rock
Category: Animals
Origin: From eel fishing — eels hide under rocks and surface at night; the image of hidden slipperiness is attested in French since the Middle Ages.
Equivalents in other languages
- Swedish: Ana ugglor i mossen — literally: To suspect owls in the bog
- Hindi: दाल में कुछ काला है (daal mein kuchh kaalaa hai) — literally: There is something black in the lentils
- Malay: Ada udang di sebalik batu — literally: There's a shrimp behind the rock
More idioms — Animals
- Ménager la chèvre et le chou — To try to please both sides of a conflict without committing to either.
- Prendere due piccioni con una fava — To achieve two goals with a single effort.
- 猫舌 (Nekojita) — Unable to handle hot food or drinks.
- Ни пуха ни пера (Ni pukha ni pera) — Good luck — to which the ritual reply is 'To the devil!'.
- Ехать зайцем (Yekhat' zaytsem) — To ride a train or bus without paying.
- Кот наплакал (Kot naplakal) — A laughably tiny amount.
More French idioms
- Avoir la gueule de bois — To be hungover.
- Filer à l'anglaise — To leave discreetly without saying goodbye.
- Se mettre sur son trente-et-un — To dress up in your very best clothes.
- Les doigts dans le nez — To do something with the greatest of ease.
- Tomber dans le panneau — To fall for a trick or scam.
- Avoir un cœur d'artichaut — To fall in love easily and often.
From our proverbs
- A dumb priest never got a parish — Silence and incompetence forfeit advancement; those unable to demonstrate ability through…
- A golden key can open any door — Wealth and privilege grant access to opportunities otherwise unavailable to ordinary peop…
- All cats are gray at night — When darkness obscures differences, all things appear equal or indistinguishable.