Mettre la clé sous la porte
Meaning: To shut up shop; to go out of business.
Language: French
Literally: To put the key under the door
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A tenant leaving without settling with the landlord slid the key back under the door and disappeared overnight. The phrase keeps that undertone of a departure that was neither announced nor entirely honorable.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Ne pas être grand clerc — Not to be much of an expert — used to say that no expertise is needed to see something.
- Déménager à la cloche de bois — To do a moonlight flit, leaving without paying the rent.
- Rater le coche — To miss an opportunity through being too slow.
- Être coiffé au poteau — To be beaten by a hair right at the finish.
- Aux quatre coins de — All over; in every part of a place.
- Frappé au coin du bon sens — Manifestly sensible; bearing the stamp of sound judgment.
More French idioms
- Donner de la confiture à un cochon — To waste something fine on someone incapable of appreciating it.
- Un corbeau — The anonymous author of poison-pen letters.
- Bayer aux corneilles — To stand around idly, staring into space.
- Un panier de crabes — A group whose members constantly undermine one another.
- Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide — One bad experience makes you wary even where there is no danger.
- Une faim de loup — Ravenous hunger.
From our false friends
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- Rester — Actually means 'to stay' or 'to remain'. Je reste ici = I'm staying here — not taking a n…
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