Quand les poules auront des dents
Meaning: Never — it describes something that will simply never happen.
Language: French
Literally: When hens have teeth
Category: The Absurd
Origin: French humor of the 18th century settled on the toothless hen as the perfect image of impossibility, the cousin of English 'when pigs fly'.
More idioms — The Absurd
- No hay tu tía — There's no way around it; nothing can be done.
- Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto — To be unable to see what is right in front of you.
- Viajar na maionese — To talk nonsense or drift off into your own dream world.
- Skägget i brevlådan — Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position.
- يعمل من الحبة قبة — To blow something tiny completely out of proportion.
- Helt texas — Utterly wild, chaotic or out of control.
More French idioms
- Il y a anguille sous roche — Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
- Ménager la chèvre et le chou — To try to please both sides of a conflict without committing to either.
- Avoir la gueule de bois — To be hungover.
- Filer à l'anglaise — To leave discreetly without saying goodbye.
- Se mettre sur son trente-et-un — To dress up in your very best clothes.
- Les doigts dans le nez — To do something with the greatest of ease.
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