IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchUne madeleine de Proust
Meaning: A small sensory trigger that unlocks a flood of memory.
Literally: A Proust's madeleine
Example: “L'odeur du chocolat chaud, c'est ma madeleine de Proust : je revois la cuisine de ma grand-mère.” — The smell of hot chocolate takes me straight back: I can see my grandmother's kitchen again.
Origin: From À la recherche du temps perdu, where a madeleine dipped in lime tea returns the narrator's childhood entire. Proust's first draft used toast, which would have made for a less durable phrase.
More French idioms
- Des yeux de merlan frit A soppy, languishing look.
- Payer en monnaie de singe To pay with worthless promises instead of money.
- La montagne accouche d'une souris A vast effort or grand announcement produces something trivial.
- La mouche du coche Someone who bustles importantly while contributing nothing.
- On n'attrape pas les mouches avec du vinaigre Gentleness achieves what harshness cannot.
- Prendre la mouche To take sudden and disproportionate offense.
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