FrenchVendre chèrement sa peau
Meaning: To defend oneself fiercely and make a determined stand against those trying to kill you.
Literally: To sell one's skin dearly
Example: “Menés trois à zéro, les joueurs ont vendu chèrement leur peau jusqu'à la dernière minute.” — Down three to nothing, the players went down fighting to the last minute.
English equivalent: To go down fighting
Equivalents in other languages
English: go down fighting
Origin: The skin stands for one's life, as in sauver sa peau (to save one's skin), and selling it dearly means making attackers pay a high price before they can take it. The Académie française's first dictionary (1694) gives vendre chèrement sa vie for fighting hard against one's attackers and notes the same idea put "more lowly" as vendre chèrement sa peau. Today it is used as much of sports teams and companies as of soldiers.
More French idioms
- 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.
- Les Anglais ont débarqué To have one's period.
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