IdiomFood & Drink
French
FrenchTrempé comme une soupe
Meaning: Drenched to the skin.
Literally: Soaked like a soup
Example: “Sans parapluie, je suis arrivé au bureau trempé comme une soupe.” — Without an umbrella, I got to the office soaked to the skin.
English equivalent: Soaked to the skin
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: Ponerse como una sopa Literally: To get like a soup
English: soaked to the skin
Origin: A soupe was originally the slice of bread the broth was poured over, not the liquid — so the comparison is to something saturated rather than to a bowl. The older sense survives only here and in tremper la soupe.
More French idioms
- Jeter de la poudre aux yeux To create a dazzling false impression.
- Tenir à quelque chose comme à la prunelle de ses yeux To guard something as one's most precious possession.
- Allumer ses quinquets To open one's eyes and pay attention.
- Couper le sifflet à quelqu'un To silence someone abruptly, usually with an unanswerable point.
- Être dans ses petits souliers To be acutely ill at ease.
- Mordre la poussière To be defeated; to fall.
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