
IdiomDaily Life
French
Partir à Tataouine
Meaning: To be packed off somewhere remote and unpleasant.
Literally: To be sent to Tataouine
Example: “Après sa gaffe, le cadre a été muté à Tataouine.” — After his blunder, the manager was transferred to some godforsaken outpost.
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 French idioms
- 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.
- Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà What counts as true depends on which side of a border you stand.
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