ne pas garder les yeux dans sa poche
Meaning: To be observant and alert; to miss nothing.
Language: French
Literally: to not keep the eyes in one's pocket
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The whimsical image suggests that an observant person's eyes are not hidden away but actively engaged with the world.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- donner du poing sur la table — To express strong disagreement or disapproval with a situation.
- avoir sur les bras — To be burdened with or responsible for someone or something; to be occupied with a demand…
- ne s’être pas regardé — to judge others harshly while being blind to one's own equal or greater faults.
- ne pas en croire ses oreilles — To be startled or disbelieving upon hearing something astonishing.
- se composer le visage — To adopt a serious or carefully studied expression suited to the circumstances.
- être de mauvais poil — To be in a bad mood or irritable disposition.
More French idioms
- n’avoir qu’à bien se tenir — A warning or threat implying that one must behave properly or face consequences.
- battre les fourrés — To range far and wide in search of adventure or chance encounters.
- recoller les morceaux — to repair a broken relationship or reconcile after a quarrel.
- brûler ses dernières cartouches — to exhaust one's final resources or use one's last arguments in desperation.
- ne pas tourner rond — to be unwell or not functioning properly.
- passer un mauvais quart d’heure — to experience a brief but unpleasant or distressing moment.
From our untranslatable words
- L'esprit de l'escalier — Thinking of the perfect comeback only after the moment has passed — on your way down the…
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.