La perfide Albion
Meaning: A hostile nickname for England, cast as habitually treacherous in its diplomacy.
Language: French
Literally: Perfidious Albion
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Albion is the ancient name for Britain, probably from Latin albus for the white cliffs. The pairing was popularized by the marquis de Ximénès in 1793, at the start of the war with Britain, and has been reached for in French polemic ever since.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Alea jacta est — The decision is irrevocable and there is no turning back.
- De bon aloi — Genuine and of good quality; its opposite, de mauvais aloi, means dubious or in poor tast…
- L'alpha et l'oméga — The beginning and the end; the entirety of something, or its essential principle.
- Vendre son âme au diable — To sacrifice one's principles for power, wealth or success.
- Faire amende honorable — To publicly admit you were wrong and apologize.
- Bon an, mal an — On average, taking the good years with the bad; year in, year out.
More French idioms
- Le libre arbitre — Free will — the capacity to choose independently of compulsion.
- L'argent n'a pas d'odeur — Money is money regardless of how disreputably it was earned.
- Une Arlésienne — A person or thing endlessly talked about but who never actually appears.
- Signer son arrêt de mort — To take an action that guarantees your own downfall.
- Un homme de l'art — A qualified professional, especially a physician.
- C'est du grand art — That is masterfully done.
From our false friends
- Librairie — Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
- Pain — Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
- Coin — Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
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