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Le bout du tunnel

Meaning: The first sign that a long difficulty is ending.

Language: French

Literally: The end of the tunnel

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Almost always in voir le bout du tunnel, to see the end of it. The tunnel supplies the crucial condition that there is no way out except forward.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • Brûler ses vaisseaux — To destroy any possibility of retreat.
  • Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà — What counts as true depends on which side of a border you stand.
  • Un vieux de la vieille — A veteran of long standing.
  • En quatrième vitesse — At top speed; as fast as possible.
  • Au temps pour moi — My mistake.
  • Pédaler dans la semoule — To be confused and getting nowhere.

More French idioms

  • Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
  • C'est comme pisser dans un violon — A completely pointless effort.
  • Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
  • Poser un lapin — To stand someone up on a date.
  • Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
  • Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez — To be getting angry.

From our false friends

  • Pain — Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
  • Coin — Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
  • Chance — Actually means 'luck'. Bonne chance! = Good luck! For chance (probability), say une possi…

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