vendre chèrement sa peau
Meaning: To defend oneself fiercely and make a determined stand against those trying to kill you.
Language: French
Literally: to sell one's skin dearly
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The image is of one's own skin (standing in for one's life) as a commodity sold only at a high price — resistance that costs the attacker dearly.
More idioms — Daily Life
- en la cuerda floja — To be in a precarious or dangerous position; to be walking a fine line between safety and…
- romper la baraja — To abandon a game or situation in frustration; to take one's ball and go home.
- en la estacada — abandoned or left in a difficult situation without help.
- tira y afloja — a back-and-forth negotiation or struggle where each side gives and takes.
- a escondidillas — in secret; covertly or without someone's knowledge.
- de pitiminí — something trivial or of insignificant value.
More French idioms
- C'est pas tes oignons — That's none of your business.
- C'est la fin des haricots — It's all over; there's no hope left.
- Le dindon de la farce — The dupe — the victim of a trick who ends up everyone's laughingstock.
- Montrer patte blanche — To produce the credentials needed to be let in somewhere.
- Tenir la dragée haute à quelqu'un — To keep someone waiting before granting what they ask, so they feel the power you hold ov…
- Sucrer les fraises — To have trembling hands; by extension, to be doddering.
From our proverbs
- Love and a cough cannot be hid. — Genuine affection, like illness, inevitably reveals itself through visible signs despite…
- Hide nothing from thy minister, physician, and lawyer. — Trust these three professionals completely; withholding information from them undermines…
- High winds blow on high hills. — Exposure and prominence invite greater adversity and scrutiny than sheltered, ordinary po…