Séparer le bon grain de l'ivraie
Meaning: To distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless.
Language: French
Literally: To separate the good grain from the darnel
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: From the parable of the tares in Matthew: darnel is a weed that closely resembles wheat while growing, so the sorting can only happen at harvest. That delay is the whole point of the parable and is usually forgotten.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Se demander si c'est du lard ou du cochon — To be unable to tell what something is or how it is meant.
- Une autre paire de manches — A different matter entirely; a far harder proposition.
- Faire du lèche-vitrine — To go window shopping.
- C'est la mer à boire — It is an impossible or endless task — most often used in the negative.
- Faire son miel de quelque chose — To turn something to one's own advantage.
- La substantifique moelle — The essential substance of something, reached only by real effort.
More French idioms
- L'huile de coude — Hard physical effort; elbow grease.
- Couper l'herbe sous le pied de quelqu'un — To forestall someone by acting first.
- Ne pas mâcher ses mots — To speak with complete bluntness.
- Il faut tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche avant de parler — Think carefully before you speak.
- En avoir gros sur le cœur — To be full of unspoken hurt or resentment.
- En son for intérieur — In one's heart of hearts; in private conscience.
From our untranslatable words
- L'esprit de l'escalier — Thinking of the perfect comeback only after the moment has passed — on your way down the…
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.
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