Une tunique de Nessus
Meaning: A gift that destroys the person who accepts it.
Language: French
Literally: A tunic of Nessus
Category: Animals
Origin: The centaur Nessus, dying by Heracles' arrow, told Deianira his blood would keep her husband faithful. She soaked a shirt in it, and the poison killed him — a revenge that took years to arrive.
More idioms — Animals
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.
- Avoir le cafard — To feel depressed or down.
- Poser un lapin — To stand someone up on a date.
- Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — To have more important things to do.
- Da steppt der Bär — It's going to be a great party.
- Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift — I can't believe it! That's outrageous!
More French idioms
- Une tarte à la crème — A tired cliché trotted out as though it were an argument.
- Décrocher la timbale — To carry off the prize.
- Trier sur le volet — To hand-pick with great care.
- À tue-tête — At the top of one's voice.
- Dire ses quatre vérités à quelqu'un — To tell someone exactly what is wrong with them.
- Avoir la main verte — To have a gift for growing plants.
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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