Partir à Tataouine
Meaning: To be packed off somewhere remote and unpleasant.
Language: French
Literally: To be sent to Tataouine
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Tataouine in southern Tunisia held a French penal battalion, and being sent there was a punishment posting. The town later lent its name to a planet in Star Wars, which is a considerable change of register.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras — A certain small gain beats a larger promised one.
- Mieux vaut tenir que courir — Better to keep what you have than chase what you might get.
- Un travail de Titan — An undertaking of enormous scale.
- À tombeau ouvert — At reckless, life-threatening speed.
- Être mis sur la touche — To be sidelined and left out of things.
- Botter en touche — To dodge a question by changing the subject.
More French idioms
- Une tour d'ivoire — A position of deliberate detachment from ordinary life.
- La tournée des grands-ducs — A lavish night out taking in every fashionable establishment.
- Un coup de Trafalgar — A sudden catastrophic reversal, often felt to be underhand.
- Doré sur tranche — Extremely wealthy; luxuriously appointed.
- Le bout du tunnel — The first sign that a long difficulty is ending.
- Brûler ses vaisseaux — To destroy any possibility of retreat.
From our compliments & insults
- Tu as un cœur d'or — You are genuinely kind and generous.
- Tu déchires — You're awesome — you totally rock.
- Bête comme ses pieds — Really not very bright.
Browse all compliments & insults →
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