Rabattre le caquet à quelqu'un
Meaning: To shut someone up; to take an insolent person down a peg.
Language: French
Literally: To beat down someone's cackle
Category: Animals
Origin: Caquet comes from caqueter, the cackling of a hen, and has meant idle self-important chatter since the Middle Ages. Rabattre is to beat down or knock flat, so the phrase is literally flattening the noise someone is making about themselves.
More idioms — Animals
- Caracoler en tête — To lead by a wide margin, especially in a race or in polls.
- Muet comme une carpe — Completely silent; saying absolutely nothing.
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
- Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
- Poser un lapin — To stand someone up on a date.
- Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — To have more important things to do.
More French idioms
- La caque sent toujours le hareng — However far you rise, low origins always show through.
- Aller à Canossa — To humble oneself completely before someone; to submit and beg forgiveness.
- Parler à la cantonade — To speak to a group at large without addressing anyone in particular.
- Un capitaine d'industrie — The head of a large company.
- Il n'y a pas loin du Capitole à la roche Tarpéienne — Glory and disgrace are close neighbors — the fall can follow the honors very quickly.
- Arriver comme les carabiniers — To turn up far too late, when everything is already over.
From our untranslatable words
- L'esprit de l'escalier — Thinking of the perfect comeback only after the moment has passed — on your way down the…
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.
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