IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchUne faim de loup
Meaning: Ravenous hunger.
Literally: A wolf's hunger
Example: “Après la randonnée, les enfants avaient une faim de loup.” — After the hike, the kids were ravenous.
English equivalent: I could eat a horse
Other ways to say this
Spanish: hambre canina Literally: Dog hunger- French: Crever la dalle Literally: To burst the gullet
English: I could eat a horse
Origin: The wolf is the standard French figure for appetite that is not merely large but predatory, appearing across the language in dents de loup and manger comme un loup. It carries an edge that a phrase like 'starving' does not.
More French idioms
- 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.
- Un étouffe-chrétien Food so dense and stodgy it is hard to swallow.
- Mettre de l'eau dans son vin To moderate one's demands or soften one's position.
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