IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchSe faire de la bile
Meaning: To worry oneself sick.
Literally: To make bile for oneself
Example: “Ne te fais pas de bile, ton vol n'a qu'une heure de retard.” — Don't fret; your flight is only an hour late.
Origin: From humoral medicine, in which an excess of yellow bile produced anger and anxiety — the same theory that gave English 'bilious' and 'melancholy', literally black bile. French keeps several variants, including se faire du mauvais sang, to make bad blood for oneself.
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.
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Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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