IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchSans queue ni tête
Meaning: Making no sense at all.
Literally: Without tail or head
Example: “Le scénario de ce film est sans queue ni tête.” — The plot of this movie has no rhyme or reason.
English equivalent: Without rhyme or reason
Equivalents in other languages
English: rhyme or reason
Italian: senza capo né coda Literally: Without head nor tail
Origin: Something with neither end has no shape to grasp and no order to follow. English says neither head nor tail, having reversed the pair.
More French idioms
- Un rond-de-cuir A petty bureaucrat.
- Au bout du rouleau Completely exhausted; at the end of one's resources.
- Hommes de sac et de corde Thorough scoundrels.
- L'affaire est dans le sac It is as good as settled.
- Mettre à sac To plunder a place completely.
- À bon entendeur, salut A word to the wise — take the hint.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
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