Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs
Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
Language: French
Literally: To put the plough before the oxen
Category: Daily Life
Origin: An age-old farming absurdity — oxen must pull the plough, not follow it — used figuratively across Europe.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Tirer son épingle du jeu — To extract yourself cleverly from a tricky situation.
- To burn the midnight oil — To work late into the night.
- To throw a spanner in the works — To sabotage or disrupt a plan.
- A skeleton in the closet — A shameful secret kept hidden.
- To read the riot act — To reprimand someone sternly.
- To pull out all the stops — To make every possible effort.
More French idioms
- Avoir le cœur sur la main — To be very generous and giving.
- Être soupe au lait — To be quick-tempered and flare up easily.
- Ne pas être sorti de l'auberge — To be far from done with one's troubles.
- Avoir la pêche — To be full of energy and on top form.
- Faire chou blanc — To draw a complete blank; to fail.
- Avoir une araignée au plafond — To be a little crazy.
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