IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchSe défendre bec et ongles
Meaning: To fight back with everything you have.
Literally: To defend oneself with beak and nails
Example: “Les habitants se défendent bec et ongles contre la fermeture de l'école.” — Residents are fighting tooth and nail against the school closing.
English equivalent: To fight tooth and nail
Equivalents in other languages
English: fight tooth and nail
Origin: From a cornered bird of prey using both beak and talons — the French equivalent of fighting tooth and nail. Attested since the 16th century and originally applied to animals before transferring to people.
More French idioms
- L'arbre qui cache la forêt A conspicuous detail that distracts attention from the larger reality behind it.
- Jeter son bonnet par-dessus les moulins To throw propriety to the wind and stop caring what people think.
- Un baroud d'honneur A last stand fought for honor when defeat is already certain.
- Un ange passe Said to acknowledge a sudden awkward silence in a conversation.
- Être aux anges To be overjoyed, in raptures.
- Être aux abonnés absents To be unreachable, or to fail to show up when needed.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Vent au visage rend un homme sage Hardship makes a person wiser.
- Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras A certain small gain beats a larger promised one.
- L'habit ne fait pas le moine Appearances do not establish what someone is.
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