IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchSur les chapeaux de roues
Meaning: At top speed; also, of a start, immediately and forcefully.
Literally: On the wheel hubcaps
Example: “L'ambulance est partie sur les chapeaux de roues.” — The ambulance took off like a bat out of hell.
English equivalent: Like a bat out of hell
Other ways to say this
Latvian: Kā pliks pa nātrēm Literally: Like a naked man through nettles
Welsh: Rhedeg fel cath i gythraul Literally: To run like a cat to the devil
Portuguese: Tirar o pai da forca Literally: To take your father off the gallows- French: À tombeau ouvert Literally: With the tomb open
English: like a bat out of hell
Origin: A car cornering fast enough to lean far over appears to ride on the caps of its wheels rather than the tires. The phrase is used as much of a fast beginning as of literal speed.
More French idioms
- Être au septième ciel To be in a state of perfect happiness.
- Mettre la clé sous la porte To shut up shop; to go out of business.
- Ne pas être grand clerc Not to be much of an expert — used to say that no expertise is needed to see something.
- Déménager à la cloche de bois To do a moonlight flit, leaving without paying the rent.
- Rater le coche To miss an opportunity through being too slow.
- Être coiffé au poteau To be beaten by a hair right at the finish.
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