Trancher le nœud gordien
Meaning: To solve an intractable problem by refusing its terms.
Language: French
Literally: To cut the Gordian knot
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The knot at Gordium was prophesied to yield Asia to whoever untied it; Alexander cut it with his sword. Whether that counts as solving it is the question the phrase quietly carries.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Chercher des noises — To pick a quarrel deliberately.
- Être en odeur de sainteté — To be in favor with someone in authority.
- Œil pour œil, dent pour dent / La loi du talion — Retaliation exactly proportionate to the injury.
- Tuer dans l'œuf — To stop something before it can develop.
- À pied d'œuvre — On site and ready to begin.
- S'occuper de ses oignons — To mind one's own business.
More French idioms
- Pousser des cris d'orfraie — To protest with theatrical outrage.
- Un ouvrier de la onzième heure — A latecomer who receives the same reward as those who did the work.
- La paille et la poutre — Noticing a small fault in others while ignoring a large one in oneself.
- Un homme de paille — A front man acting for someone who stays hidden.
- Envoyer paître — To tell someone to get lost.
- La boîte de Pandore — Something that releases a host of troubles once opened.
From our tongue twisters
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. — A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
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