IdiomFood & Drink
French
FrenchTomber dans les pommes
Meaning: To faint; to pass out.
Literally: To fall in the apples
Example: “Il faisait tellement chaud dans le métro qu'une passagère est tombée dans les pommes.” — It was so hot in the subway that a passenger fainted.
Origin: Possibly a corruption of tomber en pâmoison (to fall in a swoon). It may also come from the older expression être dans les pommes cuites (to be in the cooked apples), meaning to be utterly exhausted.
More French idioms
- Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter To have more important things to do.
- Couper les cheveux en quatre To over-analyze or split hairs.
- Se regarder le nombril To be self-centered or narcissistic.
- Avoir le cul entre deux chaises To be indecisive, caught between two options.
- Casser les pieds à quelqu'un To annoy or bore someone greatly.
- Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre To want to have it both ways.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps A single encouraging sign does not prove a trend.
- L'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions Meaning well counts for nothing without acting well.
- Qui trop embrasse mal étreint Attempting too many things at once means doing none of them properly.
Keep exploring