Jouer à pile ou face
Meaning: To decide by tossing a coin.
Language: French
Literally: To play stack or face
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Pile was the lower die in coin striking, the fixed one the blank was laid on, and face was the upper die bearing the portrait. The words name the tools, not the sides.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Un pince-sans-rire — Someone who jokes with a completely straight face.
- N'être pas à prendre avec des pincettes — To be in such a foul mood as to be unapproachable.
- Damer le pion à quelqu'un — To outmaneuver someone decisively.
- Pas piqué des vers — Remarkable; really something.
- Savonner la planche à quelqu'un — To sabotage someone quietly so they fail.
- Glisser une peau de banane — To engineer someone's public downfall.
More French idioms
- Battre son plein — To be in full swing.
- Péter les plombs — To lose one's temper completely.
- Faire le point — To take stock of where things stand.
- Pomme de discorde — The particular thing two parties are fighting over.
- En grande pompe — With elaborate ceremony.
- Comme le Pont-Neuf — In excellent shape despite considerable age.
From our false friends
- Ignorer — Actually means 'to be unaware of' or 'not to know'. J'ignore la réponse = I don't know th…
- Déception — Actually means 'disappointment'. For deception (a trick), say tromperie.
- Monnaie — Actually means 'change' or 'coins'. Money in general is l'argent.
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