IdiomFood & Drink
French
FrenchManger du bout des dents
Meaning: Eating without appetite or showing disinterest in the meal.
Literally: To eat with the tips of the teeth
Example: “Il était malade et a mangé du bout des dents.” — He was sick and just picked at his food.
Origin: Built on du bout des dents, "with the tip of the teeth": biting with only the front of the teeth, taking as little as possible. Wiktionnaire defines the phrase as avec réticence, sans envie (reluctantly, without appetite) and quotes Georges Simenon using it for a reluctant smile in Les 13 Mystères (1932). No source traces a first use of the eating sense.
More French idioms
- Avoir une peur bleue Being terrified or extremely frightened of something.
- Être du voyage To come along; to be one of those taking part in a trip or shared undertaking.
- Faire le gendarme Acting authoritarian or enforcing rules with excessive zeal.
- Avoir des étoiles dans les yeux Being dreamy, hopeful, or enchanted by romantic ideals.
- Faire un couac Making an embarrassing mistake or producing a discordant sound.
- Quand les poules auront des dents Never — it describes something that will simply never happen.
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