IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchLes vaches maigres
Meaning: A period of hardship and scarcity — the opposite of les vaches grasses.
Literally: The lean cows
Example: “Après la fermeture de l'usine, la ville a connu des années de vaches maigres.” — After the factory closed, the town went through the lean years.
English equivalent: The lean years
Equivalents in other languages
English: the lean years
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 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.
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