prendre à la gorge
Meaning: To seize someone or something forcefully; to make breathing or speech difficult; to trigger strong emotion that leaves one breathless.
Language: French
Literally: to take by the throat
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The phrase draws on the physical act of grabbing someone by the throat, which immediately restricts breath and movement, extended to emotional or figurative suffocation.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- regarder la pointe de ses souliers — To lower one's eyes in embarrassment or shame.
- mettre ses deux mains au feu — To stake one's reputation or safety by guaranteeing something is true.
- tendre les bras — To offer help and support to someone, or to welcome them warmly.
- compter sur les doigts d’une main — To be so few in number that they can be counted on five fingers or fewer.
- tirer l’oreille — To scold or reprimand someone.
- tirer les oreilles — To scold someone harshly or punish them.
More French idioms
- chercher des misères — To deliberately provoke a quarrel with someone.
- faire florès — To achieve success and build a reputation.
- fuir comme la peste — To avoid something or someone as much as possible.
- beurrer épais — To exaggerate or overdo something.
- retourner à la case départ — To find oneself back where one began, as if no progress had been made.
- sentir la naphtaline — To be old-fashioned or antiquated.
From our tongue twisters
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. — Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.