IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchLes chiens ne font pas des chats
Meaning: Children inevitably resemble their parents.
Literally: Dogs do not make cats
Example: “Il joue du violon comme sa mère : les chiens ne font pas des chats.” — He plays the violin just like his mother: the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
English equivalent: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Equivalents in other languages
English: a chip off the old block
Origin: A blunt statement of heredity: a litter takes after the animal that bore it, and no amount of hoping changes the species. Usually said of a trait the speaker considers unflattering.
More French idioms
- Mettre les bouchées doubles To work twice as hard in order to catch up.
- La dive bouteille Wine, treated with mock reverence.
- Boire le calice jusqu'à la lie To endure an ordeal all the way to its most humiliating end.
- La cerise sur le gâteau A final touch that completes something already good — often said sarcastically of a last…
- Ni chair ni poisson Neither one thing nor the other; impossible to classify.
- Clouer le bec à quelqu'un To silence someone completely, usually with an unanswerable reply.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
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