Tirer son épingle du jeu
Meaning: To extract yourself cleverly from a tricky situation.
Language: French
Literally: To pull your pin out of the game
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From an old girls' game of pins; withdrawing yours before losing pictures a shrewd, timely exit.
More idioms — Daily Life
- To burn the midnight oil — To work late into the night.
- To throw a spanner in the works — To sabotage or disrupt a plan.
- A skeleton in the closet — A shameful secret kept hidden.
- To read the riot act — To reprimand someone sternly.
- To pull out all the stops — To make every possible effort.
- To jump on the bandwagon — To join something only once it becomes popular.
More French idioms
- Être soupe au lait — To be quick-tempered and flare up easily.
- Ne pas être sorti de l'auberge — To be far from done with one's troubles.
- Avoir la pêche — To be full of energy and on top form.
- Faire chou blanc — To draw a complete blank; to fail.
- Avoir une araignée au plafond — To be a little crazy.
- Ramener sa fraise — To butt in or show off uninvited.
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