IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchTant va la cruche à l'eau qu'à la fin elle se casse
Meaning: Repeated risk-taking eventually catches up with you.
Literally: The pitcher goes to the water so often that it finally breaks
Example: “Il conduit toujours trop vite ; tant va la cruche à l'eau qu'à la fin elle se casse.” — He always drives too fast; sooner or later the pitcher goes to the well once too often.
English equivalent: The pitcher goes to the well once too often
Origin: A medieval proverb, attested in French from the 13th century. The force is in the arithmetic rather than the moral: no single trip is dangerous, and the outcome is certain anyway.
More French idioms
- Entretenir une danseuse To maintain a costly indulgence that serves no purpose.
- À l'usage du Dauphin Expurgated; censored for delicate sensibilities.
- Les dés sont pipés The outcome is rigged in advance.
- Au débotté On the spot, with no time to prepare.
- Les délices de Capoue Comfort that saps the will to keep fighting.
- Après moi le déluge What happens once I am gone is not my problem.
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