IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchVoilà pourquoi votre fille est muette
Meaning: Said of a grand explanation that explains nothing.
Literally: That is why your daughter is mute
Example: “Selon l'expert, la voiture ne démarre pas parce qu'elle ne démarre pas : voilà pourquoi votre fille est muette.” — According to the expert, the car won't start because it won't start: an explanation that explains nothing.
Origin: From Molière's Le Médecin malgré lui (The Doctor in Spite of Himself), in which the fraudulent Sganarelle delivers a torrent of pseudo-Latin and concludes with exactly this line. The joke is that the audience knows the daughter is faking.
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- Valoir son pesant d'or To be extremely valuable.
- Manu militari By force; with physical compulsion.
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