Un corbeau
Meaning: The anonymous author of poison-pen letters.
Language: French
Literally: A crow
Category: Animals
Origin: Fixed by Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1943 film Le Corbeau, in which a French town is torn apart by unsigned letters signed with that name. The film drew on a real case at Tulle in the 1920s, and the bird's association with ill omen did the rest.
More idioms — Animals
- Bayer aux corneilles — To stand around idly, staring into space.
- Un panier de crabes — A group whose members constantly undermine one another.
- Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide — One bad experience makes you wary even where there is no danger.
- Une faim de loup — Ravenous hunger.
- Tailler des croupières à quelqu'un — To harass an opponent and make life difficult for them.
- Mettre le pied à l'étrier à quelqu'un — To give someone the help they need to get started.
More French idioms
- Gagner ses éperons — To prove oneself and earn recognition.
- Un mauvais coucheur — A cantankerous, difficult person.
- Un cordon-bleu — An outstanding cook.
- Il y a loin de la coupe aux lèvres — Much can still go wrong between intention and result.
- Né avec une cuillère d'argent dans la bouche — Born into wealth and advantage.
- Des économies de bouts de chandelle — Petty economies that save nothing worth having.
From our untranslatable words
- 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…
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