IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchPrendre le train onze
Meaning: To go on foot.
Literally: To take the number eleven train
Example: “Le bus était en grève, alors on a pris le train onze jusqu'au lycée.” — The buses were on strike, so we went by shanks' mare to school.
English equivalent: To go by shanks' mare
Equivalents in other languages
English: go by shanks' mare
Origin: The eleven is the two legs side by side, written as the numeral. The joke depends on the digits looking like what they describe, which makes it untranslatable.
More French idioms
- Comme un poisson dans l'eau Completely at ease in one's element.
- Tuer la poule aux œufs d'or To destroy a source of steady profit out of greed for all of it at once.
- Écrire un poulet à quelqu'un To send a love letter.
- À la queue leu leu In single file, one behind another.
- Avoir la queue entre les jambes To slink off humiliated.
- Manger à tous les râteliers To take advantage from all sides at once, with no loyalty to any.
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