IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchTomber en quenouille
Meaning: To decline into neglect; to fall apart through mismanagement.
Literally: To fall to the distaff
Example: “Faute d'héritier motivé, le domaine viticole est tombé en quenouille.” — With no heir willing to take it on, the wine estate went to rack and ruin.
English equivalent: To go to rack and ruin
Equivalents in other languages
Slovenian: Iti rakom žvižgat Literally: To go whistle to the crayfish
English: go to rack and ruin
Origin: The quenouille is the distaff, the emblem of women's work, and an estate falling en quenouille was one passing to a female heir where the law preferred a male one. The modern sense of decay is what remains of a frankly misogynistic original.
More French idioms
- À tour de rôle Each in turn.
- Un rond-de-cuir A petty bureaucrat.
- Au bout du rouleau Completely exhausted; at the end of one's resources.
- Hommes de sac et de corde Thorough scoundrels.
- L'affaire est dans le sac It is as good as settled.
- Mettre à sac To plunder a place completely.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Épanouissement The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Keep exploring