IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchLa huitième merveille du monde
Meaning: Something extraordinary — usually said with irony.
Literally: The eighth wonder of the world
Example: “Il parle de son nouveau barbecue comme de la huitième merveille du monde.” — He talks about his new grill as if it were the eighth wonder of the world.
English equivalent: The eighth wonder of the world
Equivalents in other languages
English: the eighth wonder of the world
Origin: The canonical list of seven wonders was fixed in Hellenistic times, so an eighth is by definition an intruder. Almost every modern use is sarcastic.
More French idioms
- Prendre au mot To hold someone to exactly what they said.
- Un moulin à paroles Someone who talks incessantly.
- Sainte Nitouche A woman who feigns innocence she does not have.
- Le nerf de la guerre Money, as the thing without which nothing can be done.
- Convoler en justes noces To get married.
- Trancher le nœud gordien To solve an intractable problem by refusing its terms.
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