Rester sur le carreau
Meaning: To be knocked out of the running; to be left for dead.
Language: French
Literally: To be left on the tiling
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The carreau is the tiled floor, where the loser of a fight ends up. It was used of duels and brawls before spreading to anyone eliminated from a competition or a job.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Rouler carrosse — To live in grand style.
- Donner carte blanche — To grant someone complete freedom to act as they see fit.
- Tourner casaque — To switch sides or change allegiance.
- Retourner sa veste — To change one's allegiance opportunistically.
- Coiffer Sainte Catherine — To reach twenty-five while still unmarried — said of a woman.
- Être sujet à caution — To be unreliable; not to be taken at face value.
More French idioms
- Caviarder un texte — To censor a piece of writing by blacking out passages.
- Se serrer la ceinture — To economize and go without.
- La femme de César ne doit pas être soupçonnée — Those in public office must be above even the appearance of wrongdoing.
- Se réduire comme une peau de chagrin — To dwindle away steadily until nothing is left.
- Appuyer sur le champignon — To accelerate hard; to floor it.
- Devoir une fière chandelle à quelqu'un — To owe someone a considerable debt of gratitude.
From our untranslatable words
- Épanouissement — The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement — The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
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