Un boute-en-train
Meaning: The life and soul of the party.
Language: French
Literally: A put-in-motion
Category: Animals
Origin: In breeding, the boute-en-train was the teaser stallion led to a mare to arouse her before the chosen sire was brought in — the animal whose job was to get things going without finishing them. The phrase moved to people who liven up a gathering.
More idioms — Animals
- Ruer dans les brancards — To rebel against constraint or authority.
- À bride abattue — At full tilt, at breakneck speed.
- Vouloir faire passer un chameau par le chas d'une aiguille — To attempt something manifestly impossible.
- Acheter chat en poche — To buy something sight unseen, and be cheated.
- Il n'y a pas un chat — There is nobody around at all.
- À cheval donné on ne regarde pas les dents — Do not find fault with a gift.
More French idioms
- Monter sur ses grands chevaux — To take offense and react with indignant superiority.
- Un cheval de Troie — A gift or arrangement that conceals a hostile purpose.
- C'est le chien de Jean de Nivelle — Said of someone who makes himself scarce precisely when he is called.
- Les chiens ne font pas des chats — Children inevitably resemble their parents.
- Les chiens aboient et la caravane passe — Criticism from bystanders does not stop those who are getting on with it.
- Ne pas attacher son chien avec des saucisses — To be extremely tight-fisted.
From our tongue twisters
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. — Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. — The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
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