Le parcours du combattant
Meaning: A gruelling series of obstacles.
Language: French
Literally: The combatant's course
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The military assault course, with its walls, ropes and ditches. It is applied to bureaucracy far more often than to anything physical.
More idioms — Daily Life
- La flèche du Parthe — A wounding remark delivered while leaving.
- Graisser la patte — To bribe someone.
- Le haut du pavé — The most privileged position in society.
- Mettre pavillon bas — To admit defeat.
- Dire pis que pendre de quelqu'un — To speak extremely ill of someone.
- Remettre les pendules à l'heure — To set the record straight and restore order.
More French idioms
- Ce n'est pas le Pérou — It is not a fortune; it is nothing to get excited about.
- Un pétard mouillé — A revelation that was supposed to explode and did not.
- Peu ou prou — More or less; to some degree.
- Y a pas photo — It's not even close; there is no question about it.
- Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste — Do not blame the person who is only doing their best with what they were given.
- Qui va piano va sano — Slow and steady is the surer way.
From our tongue twisters
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. — A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. — Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
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