Raconter des salades
Meaning: To tell lies or tall tales.
Language: French
Literally: To tell salads
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: French slang, from the idea of 'mixing' ingredients like mixing up stories.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: Не вешай лапшу на уши (Ne veshay lapshu na ushi) — literally: Don't hang noodles on my ears
- Latvian: Pūst pīlītes — literally: To blow little ducks
More idioms — Food & Drink
- En faire tout un fromage — To make a big deal out of nothing.
- Mettre son grain de sel — To give an unsolicited opinion.
- Les carottes sont cuites — It's too late, nothing can be done.
- Tomaten auf den Augen haben — To be oblivious to what's right in front of you.
- Um den heißen Brei herumreden — To beat around the bush.
- Seinen Senf dazugeben — To give an unsolicited opinion.
More French idioms
- Couper les cheveux en quatre — To over-analyze or split hairs.
- Se regarder le nombril — To be self-centered or narcissistic.
- Avoir le cul entre deux chaises — To be indecisive, caught between two options.
- Casser les pieds à quelqu'un — To annoy or bore someone greatly.
- Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre — To want to have it both ways.
- Noyer le poisson — To confuse the issue deliberately; to dodge a question.
From our tongue twisters
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. — A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.