Patin couffin
Meaning: And so on and so forth; et cetera.
Language: French
Literally: Slipper, basket
Category: Daily Life
Origin: No settled etymology. It is known in France from at least 1823 and comes from the south, possibly from Occitan patin e cofin, and is heard as readily in Provençal as in French. At the start of the 19th century a patin was a slipper, an old rag, or the felt pad you shuffled about on to avoid marking a freshly waxed floor; a couffin was a handled basket, also used as a crib. The explanation on offer, from Philippe Blanchet in 2000, rests on the reputation men gave women's conversation: supposedly confined to housework — hence the slipper — and to children — hence the crib. Tacked onto the end of a sentence or a list, patin couffin says there is no point finishing it, because the rest would hold about as much interest. The premise is the period's, not a compliment to anybody.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Pédaler dans la semoule — To be confused and getting nowhere.
- Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — To have more important things to do.
- Avoir le cul entre deux chaises — To be indecisive, caught between two options.
- Les carottes sont cuites — It's too late, nothing can be done.
- Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof — I don't understand anything at all.
- Schwein haben — Getting unexpectedly lucky — rooted in medieval tournaments where the last-place finisher…
More French idioms
- Rouler un patin / Rouler une galoche — To kiss deeply, with tongue.
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
- C'est comme pisser dans un violon — A completely pointless effort.
- Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
- Poser un lapin — To stand someone up on a date.
- Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
From our false friends
- Pain — Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
- Coin — Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
- Chance — Actually means 'luck'. Bonne chance! = Good luck! For chance (probability), say une possi…
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