IdiomDaily LifeFrench

Un coup de fil

Meaning: A telephone call.

Literally: A blow of wire

Example: “Passe-moi un coup de fil quand tu arrives à la gare.” — Give me a ring when you get to the station.

English equivalent: To give someone a ring

Equivalents in other languages

Origin: The fil is the telephone wire, from the era when the physical line was the salient fact about the technology. It has comfortably outlived the wires.

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