IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchMordre la poussière
Meaning: To be defeated; to fall.
Literally: To bite the dust
Example: “Le champion en titre a mordu la poussière dès le deuxième tour.” — The defending champion bit the dust in the second round.
English equivalent: To bite the dust
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: morder el polvo Literally: To bite the dust
English: bite the dust
Origin: Homer has fallen warriors seize the earth in their teeth, and the phrase reached French and English through translations of the Iliad. It arrived in English before the westerns that now own it.
More French idioms
- De la poudre de perlimpinpin A worthless remedy sold with great confidence.
- Un lit de Procuste A standard imposed regardless of what it does to the thing being measured.
- Le rocher de Sisyphe A labor that must be repeated forever and never completes.
- Le supplice de Tantale Having what one wants permanently in sight and permanently out of reach.
- Une solution de continuité A break or gap — not, despite appearances, a solution to anything.
- Demain, on rase gratis A promise perpetually postponed.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
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