Les vaches maigres
Meaning: A period of hardship and scarcity — the opposite of les vaches grasses.
Language: French
Literally: The lean cows
Category: Animals
Origin: From Pharaoh's dream in Genesis, where seven gaunt cows devour seven fat ones and Joseph reads it as seven years of famine following seven of plenty. The pairing survives in French as a standard way of naming an economic cycle.
More idioms — Animals
- Les vaches grasses — A period of plenty.
- Aller comme un tablier à une vache — To suit someone appallingly badly.
- Adorer le veau d'or — To make money one's god.
- Une tunique de Nessus — A gift that destroys the person who accepts it.
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
- Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
More French idioms
- Une tarte à la crème — A tired cliché trotted out as though it were an argument.
- Décrocher la timbale — To carry off the prize.
- Trier sur le volet — To hand-pick with great care.
- À tue-tête — At the top of one's voice.
- Dire ses quatre vérités à quelqu'un — To tell someone exactly what is wrong with them.
- Avoir la main verte — To have a gift for growing plants.
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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