FrenchReprendre du poil de la bête
Meaning: To recover one's strength or spirit after a setback; to bounce back.
Literally: To take back some hair of the beast
Example: “Après deux semaines au lit, le chat reprend enfin du poil de la bête.” — After two weeks in bed, the cat is finally bouncing back.
English equivalent: To get back on one's feet
Equivalents in other languages
German: auf dem Damm Literally: On the dam
English: get back on one's feet
Origin: From an old folk remedy: a hair of the animal that bit you, laid on the wound, was supposed to heal it, a belief already recorded by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century. Alain Rey considers this the most convincing explanation. The phrase was in French by the 16th century as prendre du poil de la bête, and the Académie française defined it in 1762 as seeking one's remedy in the very thing that caused the harm. The sense later moved from healing to regaining strength and courage. English "hair of the dog" comes from the same belief.
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- Jeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain To discard something valuable while getting rid of what's unwanted.
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