Passer du coq à l'âne
Meaning: To switch topics abruptly and illogically.
Language: French
Literally: To jump from the rooster to the donkey
Category: Animals
Origin: From medieval French saillir du coq en l'asne; the nonsensical leap between animals pictures a disjointed conversation.
More idioms — Animals
- To bury your head in the sand — To refuse to face an obvious danger.
- Die Kuh vom Eis holen — To resolve a precarious situation.
- Eulen nach Athen tragen — To do something utterly pointless.
- Hummeln im Hintern haben — To be unable to sit still.
- Ser la oveja negra — To be the outcast of the family or group.
- Tirar o cavalo da chuva — To give up on an expectation.
More French idioms
- Avoir le melon — To be bigheaded and conceited.
- Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs — To do things in the wrong order.
- Avoir le cœur sur la main — To be very generous and giving.
- Tirer son épingle du jeu — To extract yourself cleverly from a tricky situation.
- Être soupe au lait — To be quick-tempered and flare up easily.
- Ne pas être sorti de l'auberge — To be far from done with one's troubles.
From our tongue twisters
- 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.
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.