Un vieux loup de mer
Meaning: A seasoned old sailor.
Language: French
Literally: An old sea wolf
Category: Animals
Origin: Loup de mer is also a real fish, the sea bass, but the sailor sense trades on the wolf's toughness and solitude. The phrase is affectionate where most wolf idioms are not.
More idioms — Animals
- Avoir des yeux de lynx — To have extremely sharp eyesight, or to notice everything.
- Des larmes de crocodile — Insincere grief performed for effect.
- Se laisser tondre la laine sur le dos — To let oneself be exploited without resisting.
- S'entendre comme larrons en foire — To be thick as thieves; to understand one another perfectly.
- Des yeux de merlan frit — A soppy, languishing look.
- Payer en monnaie de singe — To pay with worthless promises instead of money.
More French idioms
- À la fortune du pot — Taking potluck; sharing whatever happens to be cooking.
- Séparer le bon grain de l'ivraie — To distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless.
- Se demander si c'est du lard ou du cochon — To be unable to tell what something is or how it is meant.
- Une autre paire de manches — A different matter entirely; a far harder proposition.
- Faire du lèche-vitrine — To go window shopping.
- L'huile de coude — Hard physical effort; elbow grease.
From our false friends
- Assister — Actually means 'to attend' an event. J'assiste à la réunion = I attend the meeting. For a…
- Phrase — Actually means 'sentence'. For a short phrase or expression, say une expression.
- Ignorer — Actually means 'to be unaware of' or 'not to know'. J'ignore la réponse = I don't know th…
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