are not playing the game. 2. That was not agreed upon.
Jeune
*_Qui jeune n’apprend, rien ne saura_ = An old dog will learn no
tricks. (See _Jeunesse_.)
Jeunesse
*_Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait_ = If only the young
had experience and the old strength; If things were to be done
twice, all would be wise.
_Ce que poulain prend en jeunesse, il le continue en vieillesse_ =
“’Tis education forms the common mind.
Just as the twig is bent the tree’s inclined.”
[POPE, _Moral Essays_, i. 149.]
Youth and white paper take any impression.
[Also: _Vieil arbre mal aisé à redresser_. Compare the English,
“Old dogs are hard to train.” (See _Jeune_.)
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he
will not depart from it.”--PROVERBS xxii. 6.]
_Il faut que jeunesse se passe_ = Boys will be boys.
Joie
_Un rabat-joie_ = A mar-joy; A wet blanket.
Jouer
_Il joua de son reste_ = He played his last card; He was on his
last legs.
[Carefully distinguish this from _Jouir de son reste_ = To make
the most of one’s remaining time.]
_Il joue au plus sûr_ = He plays a safe game.
_Jouer de malheur_ = To have a run of ill-luck.
_Jouer serré_ = To act cautiously; To leave nothing to chance.
Jour
_Ces gens vivent au jour le jour_ = Those men live from day to
day, from hand to mouth.
*_À chaque jour suffit sa peine_ = Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof.
_Je suis à jour_ = I am up to date; I am not behind in my work.
*_Tôt ou tard la vérité se fait jour_ = Sooner or later the truth
will come out.
_C’est le jour et la nuit_ = They are as different as chalk and
cheese.
_Il n’est si long jour qui ne vienne à vêpres_ =
“Be the day weary, be the day long,
At length it ringeth to evensong.”
[From a poem by Stephen Hawes, a poet of the reign of Henry VII.
Compare:
“Come what come may,
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.”
_Macbeth_, i. 3.
And:
Come day, go day,
God brings Sunday.]
_A bon jour, bonne œuvre_ = The better the day, the better the
deed.
*_Ce n’est pas tous les jours fête_ = 1. Christmas comes but once
a year. 2. One cannot always have “a high old time,” but must
work as well. 3. Life is not all beer and skittles.
_D’aujourd’hui en huit_ = This day week.
_Il y a aujourd’hui huit jours_ = This day last week.
_En plein jour_ = In broad daylight.
_Il y a quinze ans jour pour jour_ = It was fifteen years ago to
the very day.
_Prendre jour_ = To agree upon a day for an appointment.
Juge
*_De fou juge briève (brève) sentence_ = A fool’s bolt is soon
shot.
Juger
_Juger sur l’étiquette du sac_ = To judge by appearances, by the
exterior.
_Au juger_ = At a guess.
Jurer
_Le vert jure avec le jaune_ = Green does not match with yellow;
Green clashes with yellow.
_Jurer comme un templier (charretier, païen)_ = To swear like a
trooper.
Juste
_Au plus juste prix_ = At the lowest price.
_Comme de juste_ = Rightly enough.
[Littré condemns this expression as ungrammatical, giving the
correct form as: _comme il est juste_. It is, however, almost
universally used.]
Justice
_Passer à pleines voiles à travers les mailles de la justice_ =
To drive a coach-and-four through an Act of Parliament.
[Also: _Il est facile de donner une entorse à la loi._]
_La justice ne connaît personne_ = Justice is no respecter of
persons.
L.
Là
_Je jette là mon soufflet avec dépit_ = I fling aside my bellows
in disgust.
[É. SOUVESTRE, _Le Philosophe sous les toits_.]
Laine
_Nous sommes allés chercher de la laine et nous sommes revenus
tondus_ = We went out to shear and returned shorn; The biter bit.
Laisser
_Cela laisse à désirer_ = There is room for improvement; It is
not quite the thing.
_Je ne laisse pas d’être inquiet_ = In spite of all that, I am
anxious.
[Here we have the old meaning of laisser (= laxare) to leave off.
Hence, I do not leave off being anxious.]
_C’est à prendre ou à laisser_ = You must take it or leave it;
It’s a case of Hobson’s choice.
_Il se laissa faire_ = He offered no resistance.
Langage
*“_Je vis de bonne soupe et non de beau langage_” = “Fair words
butter no parsnips.”
[The French is found in MOLIÈRE, _Les Femmes Savantes_, ii. 7,
and the English equivalent in WYCHERLEY, _Plain Dealer_, v. 3.
Also: _C’est un bel instrument que la langue._]
Langue
_Ils tiraient la langue_ = (lit.) They put their tongues out;
(fig.) They showed signs of distress.
_Il a la langue trop longue_ = He cannot hold his tongue.
_Il a la langue bien pendue_ = He has the gift of the gab.
_Jeter sa langue aux chiens_ = To give up guessing (conundrums,
etc.). (See _Chat_.)
_La langue lui a fourché_ = He made a slip of the tongue.
Lanterne
_Il veut nous faire prendre des vessies pour des lanternes_ = He
would have us believe that the moon is made of green cheese.
Large
_Prendre le large_ = To run for the offing (nav.); To run away.
_Au large_ = In the open sea. (See _Plein_.)
Larron
_Ils s’entendent comme larrons en foire_ = They are as thick as
thieves.
*_L’occasion fait le larron_ = Opportunity makes the thief; Keep
yourself from opportunities and God will keep you from sins.
[“How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Makes ill deeds done.”
SHAKESPEARE, _King John_, iv. 2.]
Latin
_Latin de cuisine_ = Dog Latin.
_J’y perds mon latin_ = I cannot make it out; I am nonplussed; I
can make neither head nor tail of it.
_Être au bout de son latin_ (or, _rouleau_) = To be at one’s
wits’ end; Not to know what to do, or say, next.
Lettre
_Je lui ai dit la chose en toutes lettres_ = I told him the
matter plainly.
_Ne prenez pas ce que je dis au pied de la lettre_ = Do not take
what I say literally.
Lever
_J’en lèverais la main_ = I would swear to it; I would take my
oath to it.
[The oath in courts of justice is taken in many countries with
the right hand raised, palm outwards. In England we kiss a Bible.]
_Le président leva la séance_ = The chairman dissolved the
meeting; The Speaker left the chair.
*_À qui se lève matin Dieu prête la main_ = It is the early bird
that catches the worm.
Lèvre
_J’avais le mot sur le bord des lèvres_ (or, _au bout de la
langue_) = I had the word at the tip of my tongue.
Liard
_Il n’a pas un rouge liard_ = He has not a brass farthing. (See
_Radis_.)
Lièvre
_C’est là que gît le lièvre_ = That is the main point; There’s
the rub.
*_Il ne faut pas courir deux lièvres à la fois_ = You must not
have too many irons in the fire.
_Il a une mémoire de lièvre_ = He has a memory like a sieve.
[Also: _Il est comme les lièvres, il perd la mémoire en courant._]
_Il veut prendre les lièvres au son du tambour_ = He makes a
great noise about what should be kept secret; He divulged a plan
which to succeed had to be kept secret.
Ligne
_C’est un homme hors ligne_ = He is a first-rate man. (See
_Hors_.)
_Il est en première ligne_ = He is in the front rank.
Linotte
_Il a une tête de linotte_ = He is a hare-brained fellow.
Livre
_Traduire à livre ouvert_ = To translate at sight.
Loin
_Revenir de loin_ = 1. To come back from a distant place. 2. To
recover from a very severe illness.
_De loin en loin_ = At long intervals.
Long
*_Tout s’use à la longue_ = Everything wears out in time.
[_Tout passe, tout casse, tout lasse._]
_Il se promenait de long en large_ = He was walking up and down,
to and fro.
_Il en sait trop long_ = He knows too much.
_Il m’a raconté la chose tout au long_ = He told me every detail
of the affair.
_Il était étendu tout de son long_ = He was lying at full length.
Longer
_Longer la côte_ = To hug the shore.
Longueur
_Ce procès traîne en longueur_ = That lawsuit is dragging on
slowly.
Louer
*_Qui se loue s’emboue_ = Self-praise is no recommendation.
Loup
_Il marche à pas de loup_ = He walks stealthily.
_Il est connu comme le loup blanc_ = He is known to every one.
*_Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue_ (or, _il sort du
bois_) = Speak of angels and you hear their wings; Talk of the
devil, he is sure to appear.
*_Le loup mourra dans sa peau_ = A bad thing never dies; A bad
man will die a bad man.
[Lupus pilum mutat non mentem. Erasmus (Adagia 989) gives the
Greek origin of this saying, ὁ λύκος τὴν τρίχα οὐ τὴν γνώμην
ἀλλάττει, but he quotes no author.]
_Tenir le loup par la queue_ = To have hold of the sow by the
wrong ear.
_On fait toujours le loup plus gros qu’il n’est_ = A tale never
loses in the telling.
*_Il faut hurler avec les loups_ = When we are at Rome we must
do as Rome does; You must do as others do; He who kennels with
wolves must howl.
[“Evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. xv. 33). Paul
quoted this iambic line form Menander’s “Thais,” “φθείρουσιν ἤθη
χρῆσθ᾽ ὁμιλίαι κακαί.”
The proverb about Rome is said to have originated with St.
Ambrose, who, when he was asked by St. Augustine whether he
should fast on Saturday or not when he was at Rome, although he
was not accustomed to do so when at home, replied: “When I am at
home I do not fast on Saturday; but when I am at Rome I do, and
I think you should follow the custom of every city you visit,
if you would avoid scandal.” From this reply originated the
hexameter: Cum Romæ fueris Romano vive more = When you shall be
at Rome, live after the Roman fashion.]
_Tenir le loup par les oreilles_ = To be in a critical situation;
To have caught a Tartar.
[“Auribus lupum teneo.”--TERENCE, _Phormio_, iii. 2, 21.]
_Il fait un froid de loup_ = It is terribly cold.
*_Les loups ne se mangent pas entre eux_ = Dog does not eat dog;
There is honour among thieves. (See _Corsaire_.)
_Renfermer le loup dans la bergerie_ = To set the fox to keep the
geese.
_Ils se sont mis dans la gueule du loup_ = They rushed into the
lion’s mouth.
_C’est un vieux loup de mer_ = He is an old sea dog.
Lundi
_Faire la Saint-Lundi_ }
_Fêter Saint Lundi_ } = To do no work on Monday.
_Faire le Lundi_ }
Lune
_Faire un trou à la lune_ = “To shoot the moon”; To flee from
one’s creditors. (See _Cloche_.)
_Vouloir prendre la lune avec les dents_ = To attempt
impossibilities.
[“_Prendre la lune aux dents serait moins difficile._”
LA FONTAINE, _Le Roi Candaule_.]
M.
Mâcher
_Je ne lui ai pas mâché la chose_ = I did not mince matters with
him.
_Je lui ai donné sa besogne toute mâchée_ = I gave him his work
all ready cut out; I made his work as easy as possible for him.
Madame
_Elle fait la Madame_ = She gives herself airs (of little girls).
Mai
_Mi-mai, queue d’hiver_ = The middle of May has usually three
cold days (called _Les saints de glace_, May 11, 12, and 13).
Maigre
_Faire maigre_ = To abstain from meat.
_Faire maigre chère_ = To have poor fare.
_Maigre comme un clou_ = As thin as a lath.
Maille
_Il n’a ni sou ni maille_ = He has not got a rap, a brass
farthing.
_Avoir maille à partir avec quelqu’un_ = To have a bone to pick
(a crow to pluck) with some one.
[_Maille_ (= mite) was the smallest coin in France, and therefore
could not be divided. Hence the saying means to have a quarrel
with some one. Notice the old meaning of _partir_ in this idiom =
to divide (Lat. _partiri_).]
_Maille à maille se fait l’haubergeon_ = Many a little makes a
mickle. (See _Goutte_ and _Petit_.)
Main
_Donnez-moi une poignée de main_ = Shake hands with me.
_Donnez-moi un coup de main_ = Give me a helping hand.
_Vous n’y allez pas de main morte_ = You hit with a vengeance;
You don’t do things by halves.
_Avoir un poil dans la main_ = To be very lazy (so that hair
grows on the palm of the hand).
_Avoir la main heureuse_ = To be lucky at cards (or, at other
things).
_Avoir la main rompue à quelque chose_ = To be well versed at
something.
_Je le connais de longue main_ = I have known him for a long time.
_Il disparut en un tour de main_ = He disappeared in an instant,
in a twinkling.
_Il a une chambre grande comme la main_ = He has a room not big
enough to swing a cat in.
_En venir aux mains_ = To come to blows.
_Bas les mains_ = Hands off.
_Les deux armées en sont aux mains_ = The two armies are in close
combat, have come to close quarters.
_Je me perds la main_ = I am getting rusty.
_Je tirais au pistolet pour me faire la main_ = I practised
pistol-shooting to get my hand in.
_Il y a mis la dernière main_ = He put the finishing touch to it.
_Il a fait cela haut la main_ = He did it with the greatest ease.
_Mettre la main à la pâte_ = To put one’s shoulder to the wheel;
To set to (a special piece of) work oneself.
_Les voleurs firent main basse sur tous mes effets_ = The thieves
laid hands on all my things.
_Pour cela je vous baise les mains_ = As for that I will not do
it; “No, thank you!”
_J’en mettrais la main au feu_ = I would swear to it; I would
stake my life on it; I would take my dying oath about it.
[A reference to trial by ordeal.]
Mais
_Je n’en peux mais!_ = I cannot help it!
[_Mais_ is here an adverb, and shows its derivation from the
Latin _magis_. The phrase literally means: “I can do no more.”]
Maison
_Faire maison neuve_ (or, _nette_) = To change all one’s servants.
_Il fait des demandes par dessus les maisons_ = He makes most
unreasonable demands.
Maître
*_Tel maître, tel valet_ = Like master, like man.
[Or: _Tel couteau, tel fourreau._
German: _Wie der Herr, so der Knecht._]
_C’est une maîtresse femme_ = She is a superior woman.
[One who manages her business or subordinates capably, makes her
servants obey her and do their work well, and is respected by
them.]
Mal
*_À qui mal veut, mal arrive_ = Harm watch, harm catch; Curses,
like chickens, come home to roost.
[This proverb is said to be of Turkish origin. The Spanish
equivalent is: “Who sows thorns, let him not walk barefoot.”
Comp. _Psalms_ cix. 17.]
_J’ai mal au cœur_ = I feel sick.
_Vous prenez tout en mal_ = You put a wrong construction on
everything.
_Elle s’est trouvée mal_ = She fainted.
_Elle est au plus mal_ = She is past recovery.
_Sa sœur aînée n’est pas mal_ = Her elder sister is not
bad-looking.
*_Aux grands maux les grands remèdes_ = Desperate diseases
require desperate remedies.
Malheur
*_À quelque chose malheur est bon_ = It is an ill wind that blows
no one any good.
[“À quelque chose sert le malheur.”
MONTAIGNE, _Essais_, ii. 17.]
_Pour surcroît_ (or, _comble_) _de malheur il tomba malade_ = To
crown his misfortunes he fell ill.
*_Un malheur ne vient jamais seul_ = Misfortunes never come
singly; It never rains but it pours.
[Ital. _Benedetto è quel male, che vien solo_ = Blessed is that
misfortune which comes alone.]
_Il n’est qu’heur et malheur_ = That’s the way of the world.
Manant
_C’est un manant_ = He is a coarse, ill-educated boor.
[From _manens_ = one remaining fixed to the soil, a villein,
serf.]
Manche (_m._)
_Il branle dans le manche_ (or, _au manche_) = He is no longer
firmly established in his post; He is irresolute.
*_Jeter le manche après la cognée_ = To throw the rope after the
bucket; To give up in despair.
Manche (_f._)
_Je ne me ferai pas tirer par la manche_ = I shall not require
much pressing.
_C’est une autre paire de manches_ = That is quite another thing;
That is a horse of another colour, another pair of shoes.
_J’ai gagné la première manche_ = I won the first game (out of
two or more).
_Je l’ai dans ma manche_ = I have him at my disposal.
Manger
_Il mange comme quatre_ = He eats like an ogre.
_Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier_ = He had the happiest part
of his life first. (See _Pain_.)
_Manger son blé en herbe_ = To anticipate one’s revenue.
_Il a mangé de la vache enragée_ = He has suffered many
privations.
_Il est très inquiet, il en perd le boire et le manger_ = He is
very anxious, he has lost his appetite.
Manière
_Je l’ai rossé de la belle manière_ (fam.) = I gave him a sound
thrashing.
Manquer
_Vous me manquez_ = I miss you.
_Je vous manque_ = You miss me.
_Il a manqué d’être pris_ = He was nearly caught.
_C’est un avocat manqué_ = He is a would-be barrister; He is a
failure as a barrister.
_C’est un garçon manqué_ = She is a tomboy.
_Ce serait manquer d’usage_ = That would be a breach of good
manners.
_Il ne manquait plus que cela!_ = That crowns all! That is the
last straw!
Marchand
_C’est un marchand de soupe_ = He is a regular Squeers.
[This is said of a private schoolmaster who, far from regarding
his profession as an honourable one, follows it solely with a
view to profit, by having few and inferior assistants and by
feeding his pupils cheaply and badly (thus making a profit on the
_soup_). He looks upon teaching as the least important part of
his work. Of course, this race of men is now entirely extinct.]
Marché
_Par dessus le marché_ = Into the bargain; Over and above.
_Il m’a mis le marché à la main_ = He told me I could take it or
leave it; He made me decide one way or the other.
_Est-ce marché fait?_ = Is it a bargain?
_Vous en êtes quitte à bon marché_ = You came off cheaply.
_Vous aurez bon marché de lui_ = You will easily get the better
of him.
_Je fais bon marché de cela_ = I hold that very cheap.
_On n’a jamais bon marché d’une mauvaise marchandise_ = A bad
thing is dear at any price; The best is the cheapest in the end.
Marée
*_Ce qui vient de flot s’en retourne de marée_ = Fortune is as
quick in going as in coming. (See _Flûte_.)
Mariée
_Il se plaint que la mariée est trop belle_ = He complains that
he has got too good a bargain.
Marmite
_Faire bouillir la marmite_ = To keep the pot boiling.
Marotte
_Chacun a sa marotte_ = Every one has his hobby.
[Marotte is a kind of sceptre or rattle with a head on the end,
furnished with bells, which jesters carry.]
Mars
*_Mars venteux et Avril pluvieux
Font le Mai gai et gracieux_ =
March winds and April showers
Make way for May flowers.
Marteau
*_Mieux vaut être marteau qu’enclume_ = Better be striker than
struck.
_Être entre l’enclume et le marteau_ = To be in a dilemma; To be
between the devil and the deep sea.
_Graisser le marteau_ = To tip the porter.
[There is the same idea in “Palm oil.”]
Martel
_Il s’est mis martel en tête_ = He made himself very uneasy.
Massacrer
_Il est d’une humeur massacrante_ = He is as cross as two sticks.
Matière
_Il est bien enfoncé dans la matière_ = He is very coarse, very
prosaic.
_La table des matières_ = The table of contents (of a book).
Matin
_Il partira un de ces quatre matins_ = He will start one of these
fine days.
Maure
_Traiter quelqu’un de Turc à Maure_ = To treat a person brutally.
[As the Turks treated the Moors when they conquered the north of
Africa. See MOLIÈRE, _Précieuses Ridicules_, 10.]
*_À laver la tête d’un Maure_ (or, _d’un âne_, or, _d’un nègre_)
_on y perd sa lessive_ = To endeavour to teach a fool is a waste
of time.
Mèche
_Il a éventé_ (or, _vendu_) _la mèche_ = He has let the cat out
of the bag; He has blown the gaff.
_Il n’y a pas mèche_ (pop.) = “It’s no go”; There is no doing it.
Médaille
_C’est le revers de la médaille_ = That is the dark side of the
picture.
Médard
_S’il pleut le jour de St. Médard,
Il pleut quarante jours plus tard.
S’il pleut le jour de St. Gervais,
Il pleut quarante jours après_ =
“St Swithin’s day, gif ye do rain
For forty days will it remain.”
[Le jour de St. Médard = June 8.
Le jour de St. Gervais = June 19.
St. Swithin’s Day = July 15.]
Médecin
_Voilà trois médecins qui ne vous trompent pas:
Gaîté, doux exercice et modeste repas_ =
The best physicians are Dr. Diet,
Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merriman.
Méfiance
*_La méfiance est mère de la sûreté_ = Safe bind, safe find.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iii. 18.]
Même
_Il buvait à même la bouteille_ = He was drinking out of the
bottle itself.
[This is an inversion for _à la bouteille même_. _Boire à même_
is not usually used of cups or glasses, but of bottles, jugs,
streams, etc. For it implies that the containing vessel itself
is being used to drink out of, and not any smaller vessel. Thus
_boire à même le verre_ would suggest that a spoon or smaller
receptacle was not used.]
_Il est à même de vous comprendre_ = He is able to understand you.
_Cela revient au même_ = That comes to the same thing.
_C’est cela même_ = That is the very thing.
_Faites de même_ = Do the same.
Ménage
_Ils font bon ménage_ = They live happily together.
_Elle fait le ménage_ = She is doing her housework.
Ménager
*_Qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture_ = Who wishes to go far
spares his horse; He who wishes to live long avoids excess.
[RACINE, _Plaideurs_, i. 1.]
Mentir
*_A beau mentir gui vient de loin_ = A traveller may lie with
impunity; Travellers tell fine tales.
_Quasi et presque empêchent les gens de mentir_ = Almost and very
nigh save many a lie.
Méprendre
_Québec, c’est Saint-Malo à s’y méprendre_ (Max O’Rell) = You
could easily mistake Quebec for St. Malo.
Mer
*_Ce n’est pas la mer à boire_ = It is not an impossibility; It
is not so very difficult after all.
*_Porter de l’eau à la mer_ = To carry coals to Newcastle.
Mérite
_Remplir son mérite_ = To act up to one’s reputation.
Merle
*_On ne prend pas les vieux merles à la pipée_ = Old birds are
not to be caught with chaff.
Merveille
_Il se porte à merveille_ = He is in splendid health.
Messe
*_Près du moûtier, à messe le dernier_ = The nearer the church,
the farther from God.
Métier
_Il nous a servi un plat de son métier_ (or, _de sa façon_) = He
played us one of his tricks.
*“_À chacun son métier et les vaches seront bien gardées_”
(FLORIAN, _Fables_, i. 12) = Let the cobbler stick to his last.
[“Ne sutor ultra crepidam” (judicet).]
Mettre
_Mettez cent francs_ = Make it £4.
_Il se mettrait en quatre pour ses amis_ = He would do anything
for his friends.
_Il se met bien_ = He dresses well.
_On veut nous mettre dedans_ (fam.) = They want to entrap us, to
take us in.
Midi
_Chercher midi à quatorze heures_ = To make (_or_, seek)
difficulties where there are none; To look for grapes on thorns.
[This expression has its origin in the old custom, still in
use in some parts of Italy, of reckoning the hours of the day
consecutively from 1 to 24, beginning at sunset. Hence, noon
may vary from the 16th to the 20th hour, but is never the 14th.
Voltaire’s epigram for a sun-dial is very well known, but may
bear repetition:--
“Vous qui vivez dans ces demeures,
Êtes-vous bien? tenez-vous y,
Et n’allez pas chercher midi
À quatorze heures.”]
_Chacun connaît midi à sa porte_ = Each one knows his own
business best.
Mien
_J’y ai mis du mien, mettez-y du vôtre_ = I have given way a bit,
meet me half-way; I have done my share at it, now it’s your turn.
Mieux
*_Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien_ = Leave well alone.
_Ils criaient à qui mieux mieux_ = Each was trying to shout
louder than the other; Each tried to drown the others’ voices.
_Je ne demande pas mieux_ = Nothing would give me greater
pleasure.
_Elle est mieux que sa sœur_ = She is prettier than her sister.
_Faute de mieux_ = For want of something better.
_Tant mieux_ = So much the better.
_Il est au mieux avec son médecin_ = He is on the best terms with
his doctor.
_On ne peut mieux_ = As well as possible; It could not be better.
_Vous arrivez on ne peut mieux_ = You could not have come at a
more opportune moment.
Milieu
_Le juste milieu_ = The golden mean.
_Au beau milieu_ = In the very midst.
_Vertu gît au milieu_ = Do not rush into extremes.
[In medio tutissimus ibis = _Allez par le milieu et vous ne
tomberez pas._ Compare the English: When slovenly girls get tidy,
they polish the bottoms of saucepans.]
Mine
_Faire bonne mine à mauvais jeu_ = To put a good face on the
matter; To make the best of a bad job.
_If fait mine de ne pas comprendre_ = He pretends not to
understand.
_Il nous a fait mauvaise_ (or, _grise_) _mine_ = He looked black
(sour) at us; He did not receive us well.
_Cet homme a très mauvaise mine_ = 1. That man looks a regular
ruffian. 2. That man looks very ill.
_Il ne paye pas de mine_ = His appearance is against him.
_Ne jugez pas sur la mine_ = Do not judge by appearances.
[“_Garde-toi, tant que tu vivras,
De juger des gens sur la mine._”
LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vi. 5.]
_Elle fait la mine_ = She is sulking.
Mode
_Elle est ma tante à la mode de Bretagne_ = She is my father’s
(_or_, mother’s) first cousin; She is my first cousin once
removed.
_Elle est ma nièce à la mode de Bretagne_ = She is the daughter
of my first cousin.
[These phrases are used of any very distant relationship.]
Moindre
_C’est là son moindre défaut_ = That is not a great weakness of
hers (_or_, his); That is the last thing you can reproach her
(_or_, him) with.
[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, i. 1.]
Moineau
_Deux moineaux sur même épi ne sont pas longtemps amis_ = Two of
a trade seldom agree.
[“Καὶ κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει και τέκτονι τέκτων
Καὶ πτωχὸς πτωχῷ φθονέει καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀοιδῶ.”
HESIOD, _Opera et dies_, 25.]
_Il tire sa poudre aux moineaux_ = He wastes his trouble for
nothing.
Mois
_Tous les 36 du mois_ = Once in a blue moon.
Monde
_C’est vieux comme le monde_ = It is as old as the hills.
_Vous dites des choses de l’autre monde_ = You say most
out-of-the-way things.
_Il y a un monde fou_ = There is a terrible crowd. (See _Fou_.)