IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchÔter une épine du pied à quelqu'un
Meaning: To relieve someone of a persistent difficulty.
Literally: To take a thorn out of someone's foot
Example: “En acceptant de garder le chien, ma voisine m'a ôté une épine du pied.” — By agreeing to look after the dog, my neighbor took a load off my mind.
English equivalent: To take a load off someone's mind
Equivalents in other languages
English: take a load off someone's mind
Origin: A thorn in the foot is a small injury that makes every step painful, which is the register of the problem being solved — chronic and disproportionately obstructive rather than catastrophic.
More French idioms
- Se croire sorti de la cuisse de Jupiter To have an absurdly high opinion of one's own importance.
- Le tonneau des Danaïdes A hopeless undertaking that consumes everything and is never finished.
- Au diable vauvert Miles from anywhere; the back of beyond.
- Il n'y a pas le feu au lac There's no rush.
- Par l'opération du Saint-Esprit By some unexplained miracle — said sarcastically of something nobody will account for.
- Au creux de la vague At a low point, with the expectation that things will rise again.
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