
IdiomDaily Life
French
Mettre à l'index
Meaning: To blacklist something or exclude it from acceptable use.
Literally: To put on the index
Example: “Après le scandale, plusieurs pays ont mis la marque à l'index.” — After the scandal, several countries blacklisted the brand.
Origin: From the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the Catholic register of forbidden books maintained from 1559 until it was abolished in 1966. Nothing to do with the finger, though the two words share a root.
More French idioms
- Une fine lame A highly skilled practitioner.
- Sur l'air des lampions Chanted rhythmically on three insistent notes, as a crowd does.
- Perdre son latin To be completely baffled by something.
- Se reposer sur ses lauriers To coast on past achievements instead of continuing to work.
- Au pied de la lettre Literally, in the strictest sense.
- Entrer en lice To join a contest or dispute.
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