C.

Ça

_Ça a sa petite volonté_ (fam.) = It has a will of its own (in speaking of children, etc.).

_C’est toujours ça_ = That is something, at any rate.

_Pas plus que ça?_; _Rien que ça?_ = Is that all?

[This is generally used ironically: _e.g._ Le cocher m’a demandé vingt francs pour aller de la Place de la Concorde à Longchamp!--Rien que ça?]

Cabinet

_Cet avocat a un bon cabinet_ = That barrister has a good practice.

Cachet

_Courir le cachet_ = To go from house to house giving private lessons.

[This expression comes from the custom of the master giving to the pupil a number of tickets (called _cachets_) at the first lesson, for which the pupil pays, and gives one back at the end of each lesson.]

Cadet

_C’est le cadet de mes soucis_ = That is the least of my cares; That is the last thing I worry about.

Cadran

_Il a fait le tour du cadran_ = 1. He has slept the clock round. 2. He has worked for twelve hours at a stretch.

Cage

*_La belle cage ne nourrit pas l’oiseau_ = Fine clothes do not fill the stomach.

Caisse

_Il tient la caisse_ = (lit.) He keeps the cash account; (fig.) He holds the purse-strings.

_Il fait la caisse_ = He is making up his cash account.

_Quel est l’état de votre caisse?_ = How much cash have you in hand?

Cale

_Être à fond de cale_ (fam.) = To be hard up, at the end of one’s resources.

[Also more pop.: _battre la dèche._ See _Sec_ and _Argent_.]

Campagne

_En rase_ (or, _pleine_) _campagne_ = In the open country.

_Battre la campagne._ (See _Battre_.)

_Se mettre en campagne_ = (lit., of a general) To take the field; (fig.) To canvass or look out for a post; To start working.

Camus

_Rendre un homme camus_ = To stop a man’s mouth; To make a man look small.

_Il demeura tout camus_ = He had not a word to say for himself; He was “stumped.”

Canard

_Cette nouvelle n’est qu’un canard_ = That story is all humbug.

[Canard is an absurd tale mocking the credulity of listeners. Littré derives the word from the phrase _vendre à quelqu’un un canard à moitié_ = to half sell a duck to any one, _i.e._ not to sell it at all, and so, to cheat. A _moitié_ was suppressed and _un canard_ came to mean a cheat, a sell. Many other explanations are given of this word.]

Cane

_Faire la cane_ = To run away; To show the white feather.

[This expression literally means to bob down, like a duck, to escape being shot. The verb _caner_ (= to funk) is more often used now, or the less familiar _caponner_. “To show the white feather” arises from the fact that white feathers in game-cocks show impurity of breed.]

Capable

_Il prend un air capable_ = He puts on a bumptious look.

_C’est un homme capable de tout_ = He is a man that would stick at nothing.

Cape

_Rire sous cape_ (or, _sous sa coiffe_) = To laugh in one’s sleeve (generally of women. See _Barbe_.)

_N’avoir que la cape et l’épée_ = To be titled but penniless (generally used of young officers who have nothing but their pay).

_Roman de cape et d’épée_ = A romantic, melodramatic tale (_e.g._ DUMAS, _Les Trois Mousquetaires_).

Caque

*_La caque sent toujours le hareng_ = What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh.

[“You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.” MOORE, _Farewell_.]

Caractère

_Il a le caractère bien fait_ = He is always good-tempered.

_Il a le caractère mal fait_ = He cannot take a joke.

Carat

_C’est un sot à vingt-quatre carats_ = He is an out-and-out fool, an A 1 fool.

[“Enfin quoique ignorante à vingt et trois carats.” LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vii, 15.]

Carême

*_Cela arrive comme mars en carême_ = That comes regularly, like clockwork.

*_Cela arrive comme marée en carême_ = That comes very seasonably, just at the right time.

_Une face de carême_ = A sad, pale, woe-begone face (like that of one who has fasted all Lent).

_Prêcher sept ans pour un carême_ = To do a great deal for little good.

Carpe

_Muet comme une carpe_ = As dumb as an oyster.

_Baîller comme une carpe_ = To yawn one’s head off.

_Elle fait la carpe pâmée_ (fam.) = She turns up the whites of her eyes; She pretends to be ill; She looks like a dying duck in a thunderstorm.

[Also: _Faire des yeux de merlan frit._]

Carré

_Une partie carrée_ = A party composed of two ladies and two gentlemen.

_C’est une tête carrée_ = He is an obstinate fellow.

Carreau

_C’est un valet de carreau_ = He is a contemptible fellow, a snob.

_Coucher sur le carreau_ = To sleep on the floor.

_Il l’a laissé sur le carreau_ = He killed him (_or_, left him for dead on the ground).

_Il est resté sur le carreau_ = He was killed on the spot, left for dead on the ground.

[Formerly the floors of rooms were paved with square tiles or bricks called _carreaux_. Kitchens are still so paved in France, and often ground-floor rooms in the country.]

Carte

_Battre les cartes_ = To shuffle the cards.

_Donner les cartes_ = To deal the cards.

_Brouiller les caries_ = (fig.) To sow discord.

_Elle lui a tiré les cartes_ = She told his fortune (by cards).

_Il a vu le dessous des cartes_ = He has been behind the scenes; he is in the secret, “in the know.”

_Jouer cartes sur table_ = To play openly; To act frankly.

_Donner carte blanche_ = To give full permission; To grant a person full liberty to act according to his judgment.

_Je connais la carte du pays_ = I know the country well.

_C’est un homme qui ne perd pas la carte_ = He is a man who keeps his wits about him, who has an eye to the main chance.

_C’est un château de cartes que cette maison_ = This is a jerry-built house.

Carton

_Rester dans les cartons_ = To be pigeon-holed.

_Des objets de carton_ = (fig.) Gimcrack things.

Cas

_C’est bien le cas de le dire_ = One may indeed say so.

_Il n’est pas dans le cas de vous nuire_ = He is not in a position to harm you.

_Le cas échéant_ = In such a case; If such should be the case.

_C’est le cas ou jamais_ = It is now or never.

_Nous en faisons grand cas_ = We value it very highly.

_Tout mauvais cas est niable_ = A man may be expected to deny a deed that he knows to be wrong.

_Un en-cas_ = Something prepared in case of need.

[Formerly this was said of a slight meal placed in a bedroom _in case_ one should wake in the night and need food. Now it rather refers to anything that can be used _in case_ guests arrive unexpectedly. Also of a parasol that can be used as an umbrella _in case_ it rains. The latter is more usually called _un en-tout-cas_.]

Casser

_Une noce à tout casser_ (pop.) = A rare old jollification.

_Vous me cassez la tête avec votre bruit_ = You split my head with your noise.

_Je ne me casse pas la tête avec_ (or, _pour_) _de telles bagatelles_ = I don’t worry my head (_or_, rack my brains) over such trifles.

_Il nous cassait l’encensoir sur le nez_ = He was smothering us with flatteries.

[To ‘incense’ any one would be to honour or praise him, but to break the censer against his nose would be overdoing it.]

_Les fatigues ont cassé cet homme_ = Hardships have broken that man down.

_J’ai cassé une croûte_ = I just had a snack.

_Cet homme casse les vitres_ = That man speaks out boldly, to bring matters to a crisis; That man does not pick and choose his words.

_On ne fait pas d’omelettes sans casser des œufs_ = Nothing is done without trouble and sacrifice.

[A saying attributed to Napoleon I. in defence of the great mortality caused by his wars.]

_Payer les pots cassés_ = To stand the racket.

_Se casser le nez_ = 1. To fall on one’s face. 2. To knock up against an obstacle. 3. To fail in an enterprise.

Cataplasme

_C’est comme un cataplasme sur une jambe de bois_ = A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.

Catholique

_Cet individu n’a pas l’air catholique_ = That man does not look very trustworthy.

_Votre vin est trop catholique_ = Your wine is too weak, (_i.e._ baptised with water).

Cause

_Il parle en connaissance de cause_ = He knows what he is talking about.

_Je ne veux pas y aller et pour cause_ = I do not want to go there, and for a very good reason.

_J’ai toujours pris fait et cause pour vous_ = I have always stood up for you, taken up the cudgels in your defence.

_Il a eu gain de cause_ = He gained the day.

_Un avocat sans cause_ = A briefless barrister.

_Vous êtes hors de cause_ = You are not concerned in the matter; This has nothing to do with you.

Caution

_Il est sujet à caution_ = He is not to be relied upon.

[_Caution_, meaning “bail,” implies that he cannot be trusted except on bail.]

Ce

_A ce que je vois_ = As far as I can judge.

_Ce que je sais, c’est que c’est un voleur_ = All I know is that he is a thief.

_Sur ce il s’en alla_ = After that he went away.

_Ce que c’est que de nous!_ = What poor mortals we are!

Ceinture

*_Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée_ = A good name is better than riches; He who has lost his reputation is a dead man among the living.

[_Ceinture_ here refers to the purse which was in, or attached to, the girdle. Compare Proverbs xxii. 1, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,” and

“The purest treasure mortal times afford Is spotless reputation; that away, Men are but gilded loam or painted clay.” SHAKESPEARE, _Richard II._ i. 1.]

Cela

_C’est parler cela_ = That is what I call talking.

_C’est ceci, c’est cela_ = It is sometimes one thing, sometimes another.

_Pour ça, non!_ = Not a bit of it; Certainly not.

_Il est comme cela_ = That is his way.

_C’est bien comme cela!_ = That is just it!!

_C’est cela même!_ = That’s the very thing!

_Pour cela même_ = For that very reason.

_N’est-ce que cela?_ = Is that all?

Cent

_En un mot comme en cent_ = Once and for all.

_Je vous le donne en cent_ = I bet you 100 to 1 you will not guess it.

*_Cent ans bannière, cent ans civière_ = Up to-day, down to-morrow; Every dog has his day.

[_Bannière_ is here used as the mark of nobility. Also: _Aujourd’hui chevalier, demain vacher._ German: _Heute mir, morgen dir._ Latin: _Hodie mihi, cras tibi._]

_Cent ans de chagrin ne paient pas un sou de dettes_ = Worrying will not pay your debts.

Cervelle

_Le scélérat se brûla la cervelle_ = The scoundrel blew his brains out.

[Also, more pop., “se faire sauter le caisson.”]

Chacun

*_A la cour du roi chacun pour soi_ = Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. (See _Sauver_.)

_Chacun cherche son semblable_ = Like will to like. (See _Pot_ and _Tel_.)

[“Entre gens de même nature L’amitié se fait et dure Mais entre gens de contraire nature Ni amour ni amitié dure.”]

Chair

_Cela fait venir la chair de poule_ = That makes one’s flesh creep.

_Je l’ai vu en chair et en os_ = I saw him in flesh and blood.

_Ni chair ni poisson_ = Neither fish, flesh, nor fowl.

Chaise

_Être assis entre deux chaises_ = To fall between two stools. (See _Chasser_.)

Chambre

_Il y a bien des chambres à louer dans sa tête_ = He is an empty-headed fellow.

Chameau

_Rejeter le moucheron et avaler le chameau_ = To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

Champ

_Il est fou à courir les champs_ = He is as mad as a March hare.

_Nous prendrons la clef des champs_ = We shall take the key of the street (_i.e._, run away).

_Un rien le met aux champs_ = A trifle throws him into a passion, bewilders him.

_Être aux champs_ = To be put out, bewildered, angry.

_Prendre du champ_ = To take a run (before leap); To have room before one (for an effort).

[“Ils prirent du champ et coururent l’un sur l’autre avec furie.”--CHATEAUBRIAND, _Dernier des Abencérages_, 185.]

Chance

_Chance vaut mieux que bien jouer_ = Luck is better than wit or brains.

_Il n’est chance qui ne retourne_ = The luck must change.

Chandelle

*_A chaque saint sa chandelle_ = Honour to whom honour is due; Every lawyer must have his fee.

_Il vous doit une belle chandelle_ = He ought to be very grateful to you.

[An allusion to the custom of burning candles before the altars of Saints, as a mark of gratitude, considered due to them.]

_Voir des chandelles_ (or, _mille chandelles_) = “To see stars.” (See _Étoile_.)

_Donner une chandelle à Dieu et une au diable_ = To try and keep in with both parties.

_Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle_ = The game is not worth the candle; It is not worth while.

[_i.e._, when the stakes are not sufficient to pay for the candle burnt during the game.]

*_C’est une économie de bouts de chandelle_ = That is penny-wise and pound-foolish; That is spoiling the ship for a ha’porth (halfpennyworth) of tar; That is a cheese-paring policy.

_Brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts_ = To burn the candle at both ends.

Change

_Donner le change_ = To put off the scent, to mislead.

_Vous ne me ferez pas prendre le change_ = You will not impose upon me, put me on the wrong scent.

[Expressions taken from hunting, where the dogs leave the track of the game they have raised, to run on another scent.]

_Je lui ai rendu le change_ = I paid him back in his own coin. (See _Monnaie_.)

Changer

_Changer son cheval borgne contre un aveugle_ = To lose in an exchange.

Chanson

_Il en a l’air et la chanson_ = He looks it every inch; He has both the appearance and the actuality.

_C’est l’air qui fait la chanson_ = Words depend much on the tone in which they are spoken; It is not so much what you say as the way in which you say it.

Chanter

*_Il chante toujours la même chanson_ = He is always harping on the same string.

[“Cantilenam eandem canere.” TERENCE, _Phormio_, iii. 2, 10.

“Chorda qui semper oberrat eadem.” HORACE, _Ars Poet._, 356.]

*_Tel chante qui ne rit pas_ = The heart may be sad though the face be gay.

_C’est comme si je chantais_ = It is like talking to the air, preaching in the desert.

_Je lui ai chanté sa gamme_ = I lectured him severely.

_Une porte mal graissée chante_ = One must pay well to keep persons quiet.

_Elle chante à faire pitié_ = She sings most wretchedly.

_Chanter juste_ = To sing in tune.

_Si ça vous chante_ (fam.) = If you are in the mood for it.

Chapeau

_Voici la reine, chapeau bas!_ = Here is the Queen, hats off.

Chapelet

_Le chapelet commence à se défiler_ = The association is beginning to break up.

_Défiler_ (or, _dire_) _son chapelet_ = To say all one has to say.

_Il n’a pas gagné cela en disant son chapelet_ = He did not get that for nothing.

Chapon

*_Qui chapon mange, chapon lui vient_ = He that has plenty shall have more.

Charbonnier

*_Charbonnier est maître chez lui_ (or, _chez soi_) = Every one is master in his own house; An Englishman’s house is his castle.

[In the _Commentaires de Blaise de Monluc, Maréchal de France_ (ed. _Alphonse de Ruble, pour la Société de l’Histoire de France_, tome iii. p. 482, Paris, 1867), in a remonstrance to the king he says: “car chacun est roy en sa maison, comme respondit le charbonnier à votre ayeul.” M. de Ruble appends this note: “François I^{er}, à la suite d’une chasse qui l’avait séparé de sa suite, se perdit dans une forêt et chercha un asile dans la cabane d’un charbonnier. L’homme était absent; le roi ne trouva que la charbonnière, s’empara du meilleur siège et demanda à souper. La femme voulut attendre l’arrivée de son mari. A son retour, celui-ci reprit brusquement son siège et offrit un simple escabeau au roi: ‘Je prendz cette chaise,’ dit-il, ‘parce qu’elle est à moi:

Or, par droit et par raison, Chacun est maître en sa maison.’

Le roi, charmé de n’être point reconnu, obéit à son hôte. On soupa d’un quartier de chevreuil tué en cachette, on médit du roi, des tailles qu’il venait d’ordonner et surtout de sa sévérité pour la chasse. Le lendemain, François se fit connaître. Le charbonnier se crut perdu, mais le roi le rassura, et, pour prix de son hospitalité, lui accorda de grandes faveurs, entre autres le droit de chasser. A son retour à la cour, il rapporta le récit de son aventure et surtout le proverbe qu’il venait d’apprendre.” Also in _La Belle Arsène, comédie-féerie de C. S. Favart_, acted before the king in 1773, we find this proverb (Act iv. Sc. 2).]

Charge

_Cela est à ma charge_ = I have to pay for it; That falls on me.

_Cela m’est à charge_ = That is a burden to me.

_C’est entendu, à la charge d’autant_ (or, _de revanche_) = I will do the same for you; One good turn deserves another.

Charité

*_Charité bien ordonnée commence par soi-même_ = Charity begins at home.

[“Proximus sum egomet mihi.” = I myself am nearest to myself.--TERENCE.]

_La charité, s’il vous plaît!_ = Please give me a penny!

Charlemagne

_Faire Charlemagne_ = To leave off a winner, without giving one’s adversaries a chance of revenge.

[Génin explains this as a shortened form of _faire comme Charlemagne_, who died without losing any of the conquests he had made.]

Charrette

_Mettre la charrette_ (or, _charrue_) _devant les bœufs_ = To put the cart before the horse.

[Lucian says: ἡ ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει = The waggon drags the ox.]

_Mieux vaut être cheval que charrette_ = Better lead than be led.

Chasser

_Faire un chassé-croisé_ = To go to and fro in all directions; to exchange places; to play at “puss in the corner.”

“_Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop_” = What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh.

[DESTOUCHES, _Le Glorieux_, iii. 5. Comp. HORACE, _Ep. I._, x. 24: “naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret,” and LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, ii. 18:

“Tant le naturel a de force! Il se moque de tout... Qu’on lui ferme la porte au nez Il reviendra par les fenêtres.”

Frederick the Great wrote to Voltaire (19th March 1771): “Chassez les préjugés par la porte, ils reviendront par la fenêtre.”

Also: _Qui naquit chat court après les souris._]

*_Qui deux choses chasse, ni l’une ni l’autre ne prend_ = Between two stools one falls to the ground.

_Ne chassez pas deux lièvres à la fois_ = Do not have too many irons in the fire.

_Il chasse de race_ = He is a chip of the old block.

_Un clou chasse l’autre_ = One idea drives away another.

Chat

*_A bon chat bon rat_ = A Roland for an Oliver; Tit for tat; Diamond cut diamond.

*_Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide_ = A burnt child dreads the fire; Once bit, twice shy.

[The Jewish Rabbis said: “One bitten by a serpent is afraid of a rope’s end.”

Hesiod says: “Even a fool after suffering gets him knowledge”; the Italians: “Can scotato da l’acqua calda ha paura poi della fredda” = A dog burnt by hot water afterwards fears cold.]

_J’appelle un chat un chat_ = I call a spade a spade. (See _Appeler_.)

_Avoir un chat dans la gorge_ = To have phlegm (_or_, frog) in the throat; To be hoarse.

*_Nous avons d’autres chats_ (or, _chiens_) _à fouetter_ = We have other fish to fry.

_Il n’y a pas là de quoi fouetter un chat_ = It is not worth getting angry about.

*_Ne réveillons pas le chat qui dort_ = Let sleeping dogs lie.

*_Le chat parti les souris dansent_ = When the cat’s away the mice will play.

*_La nuit tous les chats sont gris_ = At night one may easily be mistaken; At night beauty is of no account; When candles are away, all cats are grey.

*_Chat botté n’attrape pas de souris_ = A muffled cat catches no mice.

_Comme chat sur braise_ = Like a cat on hot bricks.

_Il n’y a pas un chat_ = There is not a soul.

_Aller comme un chat maigre_ = To run like a lamplighter. (See _Verrier_.)

Château

_Faire des châteaux en Espagne_ = To build castles in the air.

[This expression is found from the thirteenth century. The explanation that would ascribe it to the followers of the Duc d’Anjou when he became Philippe V. of Spain must therefore be incorrect. The phrases “Châteaux en Asie, en Albanie” were also used, so that it comes to mean “to build castles in foreign countries, where one is not,” and hence “to indulge in illusions.”--LITTRÉ, _s.v._

“Chatiaus en Espagne.”--GUILLAUME DE LORRIS, _Roman de la Rose_, l. 2530.

“De quoi sert-il de bastir des chasteaux en Espagne puisqu’il faut habiter en France?” _St. François de Sales_, lettre 856.]

Chaud

_Pleurer à chaudes larmes_ = To cry bitterly.

*_Tomber de fièvre en chaud mal_ = To fall out of the frying-pan into the fire.

_Cela ne me fait ni froid ni chaud_ = That is indifferent to me.

_Il a les pieds bien chauds_ = He is in very easy circumstances.

Chaudron

*_Petit chaudron, grandes oreilles_ = Little pitchers have long ears.

Chauffer

_C’est un bain qui chauffe_ = There is a shower coming on.

[When it feels close, or when the sun is seen for a few minutes through the clouds, it is looked upon as a sign of rain.]

_Ce n’est pas pour vous que le four chauffe_ = All these preparations are not for you.

Chausser

_Les cordonniers sont les plus mal chaussés_ = The shoemaker’s wife goes the worst shod.

Chauve

_Chauve comme mon genou_ (fam.) = As bald as a coot, as a billiard ball.

Chef

_Elle a une grande fortune de son chef_ = She has a large fortune in her own right.

_Faire une chose de son chef_ = To do a thing on one’s own responsibility.

Chemin

_Chemin faisant_ = On the way.

_Le chemin de velours_ = The primrose path.

_En tout pays il y a une lieue de mauvais chemin_ = (fig.) In every enterprise difficulties have to be encountered.

_Il ne faut pas y aller par quatre chemins_ = You must not beat about the bush; You must go straight to the point; You must not mince matters; It’s no good shilly-shallying.

*_Qui trop se hâte reste en chemin_ = The more haste, the less speed; Slow and sure wins the race. (See _Hâte_.)

*_Le chemin le plus long est souvent le plus court_ = The longest way round often proves to be the shortest; A short cut may be a very long way home.

_Prendre le chemin de l’école_ (or, _des écoliers_) = To take the longest way (a roundabout way).

*_À chemin battu il ne croît pas d’herbe_ = (fig.) There is no profit in an affair in which many are engaged.

_Se frayer un chemin avec les coudes_ = To elbow one’s way through a crowd.

Cheminée

_Il faut faire une croix à la cheminée_ = “We must chalk it up” (of an event that seldom happens.)

_Sous le manteau de la cheminée_ = Secretly, _sub rosa_.

Cheval

*_À cheval donné on ne regarde pas à la bride_ (or, _à la dent_) = One does not look a gift-horse in the mouth.

[Late Latin: “Si quis det mannos, ne quaere in dentibus annos.”]

_On loge à pied et à cheval_ = Good entertainment (accommodation) for man and beast.

_L’œil du maître engraisse le cheval_ = Matters prosper under the master’s eye.

[“Il n’est pour voir que l’œil du maître.” LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, iv. 21.]

_Il est aisé d’aller à pied quand on tient son cheval par la bride_ = It is easy to stoop from state when that state can be resumed at will.

_Il n’est si bon cheval qui ne bronche_ = The best horse may stumble; Accidents will happen.

[Also: _Il n’est si bon charretier qui ne verse._]

_Il a changé son cheval borgne contre un aveugle_ = He has changed for the worse; He has made a bad bargain.

_Monter sur ses grands chevaux_ = To ride the high horse.

[A reference to the big war horses used by knights in battle.]

_Je lui ai écrit une lettre à cheval_ = I wrote him a severe letter.

_Il est toujours à cheval sur l’étiquette_ = He is a stickler for etiquette.

_Il est bon cheval de trompette_ = He is not easily dismayed.

_Un cheval à deux fins_ = A horse for riding or driving.

_J’ai une fièvre de cheval_ = I am in a high fever.

Chevalier

_Un chevalier d’industrie_ = A swindler, a man who lives by his wits.

Cheveux

_Cette comparaison est tirée par les cheveux_ = That comparison is somewhat far-fetched.

_On ne peut prendre aux cheveux un homme rasé_ = One cannot get blood from a stone. (See _Huile_.)

_En cheveux_ (of a woman) = Bareheaded.

[Of a man: _tête nue_.]

_Les cheveux en brosse_ = Hair cut short (standing up like the bristles of a brush).

_Prendre l’occasion aux cheveux_ = To take time by the forelock. (See _Balle_.)

_Avoir mal aux cheveux_ (fam.) = To have a head (_i.e._ a head-ache in the morning after a drinking bout.)

Cheville

_Vous ne lui allez pas à la cheville_ = You are a pigmy compared with him; You are no match for him at all.

_La cheville ouvrière_ = The mainspring, pivot.

Chèvre

*_Ménager la chèvre et le chou_ = To run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

[The French refers to the tale of the man in charge of a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. He came to a river which he had to cross; but the ferry-boat was so small that he could only take one of his charges with him. His difficulty was to get them across, for if he left the wolf and goat together, the wolf would eat the goat; and if he left the goat with the cabbage the goat would eat it.]

*_Où la chèvre est attachée il faut qu’elle broute_ = One must put up with the inconveniences of one’s position if one can get nothing better; We must not expect more from life than life can give us.

Chez

*_Il n’y a pas de petit chez soi_ = There is no place like home; Home is home, be it ever so humble; East, west, home is best.

[Also: _Un petit chez soi vaut mieux qu’un grand chez les autres._

“My house, my house, though thou art small, Thou art to me the Escuriall.” GEORGE HERBERT, _Jacula Prudentium_.]

Chien

_C’est le chien de Jean de Nivelle, il s’enfuit quand on l’appelle_ = The more you call him, the more he runs away, like John de Nivelle’s dog.

[Jean de Nivelle was the eldest son of Jean II., Duc de Montmorency, and was born about 1423. Having been summoned to appear before the Judges at Paris for having espoused the cause of the Duke of Burgundy against the wishes of the king, Louis XI., and of his father, who disinherited him, he fled to Flanders, where his wife had property. He therefore became an object of scorn to the people for refusing to answer the summons of his king, and they called him _chien_: the saying ought to run: _C’est_ CE _chien de Jean de Nivelle_. La Fontaine evidently thought the phrase referred to a real dog when he wrote:--

“Une traîtresse voix bien souvent vous appelle, Ne vous pressez donc nullement, Ce n’était pas un sot, non, non et croyez m’en. Que le chien de Jean de Nivelle.”

Compare the Italian:--

Far come il can d’Arlotto que chiamoto se la batte.]

*_Qui veut noyer son chien l’accuse de la rage_ = Give your dog a bad name and hang him.

[Quos Jupiter vult perdere prius dementat.]

_Je jette ma langue aux chiens_ = I give it up (of riddles, etc.).

[Also: _Je donne ma langue aux chats._]

_Nous sommes sortis entre chien et loup_ = We went out at dusk, between the lights.

[_i.e._ when you could easily mistake a wolf for a dog; or, as others say, between the time when the watch-dog is let loose and the time when the wolf comes out of the wood.]

_Un chien regarde bien un évêque_ = A cat may look at a king.

_Il fait un chien de temps_ (or, _un temps de chien_) (fam.) = It is wretched weather.

_C’est saint Roch et son chien que ces deux personnes-là_ = These two persons are inseparable.

*_Bon chien chasse de race_ = Like sire, like son; Cat after kind.

_C’est le chien du jardinier qui ne mange pas de choux et n’en laisse pas manger aux autres_ = He is a dog in the manger.

_Écorcher son chien pour en avoir la peau_ = To sacrifice something important for a small return.

_Chien qui aboie ne mord pas_ = His bark is worse than his bite.

[Also: _Tel fiert qui ne tue pas_, and _Chat miauleur ne fut jamais bon chasseur, non plus qu’homme sage caqueteur_.]

_Autant vaut être mordu d’un chien que d’une chienne_ = As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb; What is the use of choosing between two evils?

_On l’a reçu comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles_ = He was as welcome as a dog at a wedding.

*_Il ne faut pas se moquer des chiens_ (or, _du loup_) _avant qu’on ne soit hors du bois_ = Do not holloa before you are out of the wood.

_Il n’attache pas ses chiens avec des saucisses_ = He is a regular miser.

_Chien hargneux a toujours l’oreille déchirée_ = Quarrelsome folk are always in the wars.

_Jamais bon chien n’a rongé bon os_ = A good dog rarely gets a good bone; Men rarely get their deserts.

_Se regarder en chiens de faïence_ = To look at one another without talking (like stuck pigs).

Chiffon

_Nous causions chiffons_ (of women) = We were chattering about dress.

Chiffonner

_Elle a une petite mine chiffonnée_ = She has irregular features, but her expression is pleasing.

Chômer

*_Chômer les fêtes avant qu’elles ne soient venues_ = To count one’s chickens before they are hatched.

[“Laissons venir la fête avant que la chômer.” MOLIÈRE, _Le Dépit Amoureux_, i. 1.]

_C’est un saint qu’on ne chôme point_ = He is in no great repute.

[“L’honneur est un vieux saint que l’on ne chôme plus.” RÉGNIER, _Satires_, xiii.]

Chose

_Dites bien des choses de ma part à votre frère_ = Remember me kindly to your brother.

_Rester tout chose_ = To be confused.

_Il était tout chose_ = He was out of sorts; out of spirits; cast down.

_Monsieur Chose_ (or, _Machin_) = “Mr. What’s-his-name.”

Chou

_On l’envoya planter ses choux_ = He was dismissed.

_Aller planter ses choux_ (or, _garder les dindons_) = To retire into the country.

_Chou pour chou_ = Taking one thing with another.

[The whole expression is: _Chou pour chou, Aubervilliers vaut bien Paris_ = Aubervilliers is as good as Paris, if it come to counting cabbages, _i.e._, each thing has its particular merits. Aubervilliers is a suburb of Paris, noted for its market gardens.]

_Bête comme (un) chou (un pot, une cruche, une oie)_ = As stupid as an owl.

_Mon petit chou_ = My little darling.

[This has nothing to do with a cabbage, but with a kind of puff pastry filled with cream, in the shape of a cabbage.]

_Faire ses choux gras d’une chose_ = To enjoy a thing that others despise.

Ciel

_Remuer ciel et terre_ = To move heaven and earth; To leave no stone unturned.

Circuler

_Circulez, Messieurs!_ = Move on, please! (cry of policemen).

Clair

_Parler clair et net_ = To speak plainly.

_Je n’y vois pas clair_ = I cannot see, it is too dark.

_Clair comme le jour_ (or, _comme le soleil en plein midi_) = As plain as a pikestaff; As clear as noonday.

Classe

_À la rentrée des classes_ = When school reopens.

Clef

_Mettre la clef sous la porte_ = To run away from one’s creditors; “To bolt.”

_La clef dont on se sert est toujours claire_ = One does not get rusty in what one does every day.

Clerc

_Un pas de clerc_ = A blunder; A false step.

_Il ne faut pas parler latin devant les clercs_ = Do not correct a specialist on his subject.

[“Les plus grands clercs ne sont pas les plus fins.” RÉGNIER, _Satires_, iii.]

Cliché

_Ses plaisanteries ne sont que des clichés_ = His jokes are stereotyped.

Clin

_En un clin d’œil_ = In a twinkling.

Cloche

*_Qui n’entend qu’une cloche n’entend qu’un son_ = One should hear both sides of a question.

_Il est temps de fondre la cloche_ = The time for action has arrived.

_Déménager à la cloche de bois_ (fam.) = To shoot the moon; To leave a house without paying one’s rent or one’s creditors.

Clocher (subst.)

_Il n’a jamais perdu son clocher de vue_ = He has never been out of his parish.

_Il faut placer le clocher au milieu du village_ = What is meant for the benefit of all should be within reach of all.

[_e.g._ a lamp in the middle of the table.]

_Avoir la maladie du clocher_ = To be homesick.

[Also more often: _Avoir le mal du pays._]

Clocher (verb)

_Ce n’est pas mal, mais il y a encore quelque chose qui cloche_ = It is not bad, but there is still something wrong.

*_Toute comparaison cloche_ [or, _pèche_] = Comparisons are odious.

Clou

_Cela ne vaut pas un clou à soufflet_ = That is not worth a straw (lit. a tin-tack).

_Je lui ai rivé son clou_ (pop.) = I shut his mouth; That was a poser for him.

[“Vous avez fort bien fait de lui river son clou.” REGNARD, _Le Distrait_, iv. 7.]

_Un clou chasse l’autre_ = One idea drives away another.

_Le clou de l’Exposition_ = The chief attraction of the Exhibition.

Cocagne

_C’est un pays de cocagne_ = It is a land flowing with milk and honey.

[“Paris est pour le riche un pays de cocagne; Sans sortir de la ville il trouve la campagne.” BOILEAU, _Satires_, vi.]

_Le mât de cocagne_ = The greasy pole.

Coche

_C’est la mouche du coche_ = He is a regular busybody.

[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, vii. 9, imitated from Æsop.]

Cochon

_Nous n’avons pas gardé les cochons ensemble_ (pop.) = We have not been dragged up together.

[The reply to a man who presumes upon acquaintance, and needs putting down.]

Cœur

_À contre cœur_ = Reluctantly.

_À cœur joie_ = To one’s heart’s content.

_De gaieté de cœur_ = Out of sheer wantonness.

_Il l’a fait de bon cœur_ = He did it willingly.

_Dîner par cœur_ = To go without a dinner; To dine with Duke Humphrey.

[Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of Henry IV., was renowned for his hospitality. At his death it was reported that he would have a monument in S. Paul’s, but he was buried at S. Alban’s Abbey. S. Paul’s was at that time the common lounge of the town, and when the promenaders left for dinner, those who had no dinner to go to, used to say they would stay behind and look for the monument of the Good Duke. A similar saying was, “To sup with Sir Thomas Gresham,” the Exchange, built by him, being a place of resort.]

_Vous l’avez blessé au cœur_ = You have wounded his feelings.

_C’est un crève cœur_ = It is a heart-rending thing.

*_Loin des yeux, loin du cœur_ = Out of sight, out of mind.

_Il a cela à cœur_ = 1. He is striving hard to do it. 2. He takes a lively interest in it.

_Cela me tient au cœur_ = I have set my heart upon it.

_Il a mal au cœur_ = He is feeling sick.

_Il a une maladie de cœur_ = He has heart disease.

_Elle fait la bouche en cœur_ = She puts on a captivating look; She purses up her lips.

_Elle a le cœur gros_ = She is ready to cry; She is heavy-hearted.

_Si le cœur vous en dit_ = If you feel like it; If you have a mind to.

_Je veux en avoir le cœur net_ = I must clear that up.

_Il a le cœur sur les lèvres_ = 1. He always says what he thinks (and this is always something good and kind); He is open-hearted. 2. He feels sick.

_Être plein de cœur_ = To be full of generosity; To be noble-minded; To have a high sense of one’s duties towards others.

_Avoir le cœur sur la main_ = To be open-hearted, frank.

_Un serrement de cœur_ = A sinking at the heart; A feeling of oppression and sadness.

Coiffer

_Voilà l’homme dont elle est coiffée_ = There is the man with whom she is smitten.

_Être né coiffé_ = To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth (literally, with a caul).

_Coiffer sainte Catherine_ = To remain an old maid.

Coin

_Cet homme mourra au coin d’un bois_ (or, _d’une haie_) = That man will die in a ditch.

Collier

_Il est franc du collier_ = (of a horse) He pulls freely; (of a man) He never shirks his work.

_Reprendre le collier de misère_ = To return to drudgery, to the old routine.

Comble

_Le feu détruisit le bâtiment de fond en comble_ = The fire completely gutted the building.

_Elle est au comble de ses désirs_ = She is at the very height of her wishes.

_Pour comble de malheur, il tomba malade_ = To crown his misfortune, he fell ill.

Comité

_Venez demain, nous serons en petit comité_ = Come to-morrow, there will be only a few intimate friends.

Comme

_Comme ci, comme ça_ = So-so; indifferently.

_Je ne l’ai pas dit, mais c’est tout comme_ = I did not say so, but it is just as if I did.

_C’est tout comme_ = It comes to the same thing.

Commencer

*_N’a pas fait qui commence_ = The beginning is not everything.

[“Qui commence le mieux ne fait rien s’il n’achève.” CORNEILLE.]

_A moitié fait qui commence bien_ = Well begun is half done; A good beginning is half the battle.

[“_Unes vespres bien sonnées sont à demy dictes._” RABELAIS, _Gargantua_, cxl.

Also: _Matines bien sonnées sont à moitié dites. Barbe bien savonnée est à moitié rasée._]

*_Qui commence mal finit mal_ = A bad day never has a good night.

Commode

_Le patron n’est pas commode_ (fam.) = The master (boss) knows all our tricks, is not easily taken in, is very strict, is not an easy customer to deal with.

Compagnie

_Il m’a faussé compagnie_ = He gave me the slip; He did not keep his appointment.

_Vous me traitez comme si j’étais compagnie_ = You treat me as if I were somebody.

_Il n’y a si bonne compagnie qui ne se quitte_ = The best of friends must part.

Compagnon

_Traiter quelqu’un de pair à compagnon_ = To treat any one as an equal; To be “hail-fellow-well-met” (cheek by jowl) with any one.

*_Qui a compagnon a maître_ = One is often obliged to give way to the wishes of those with whom one is associated.

Compas

_Avoir le compas dans l’œil_ (fam.) = To have a good eye for distances.

Compère

_C’est un rusé compère_ = He is a sly dog, a cunning old fox. (See _Fin_ and _Mouche_.)

[Other equivalents are: _un fin_ (or, _fûté_) _matois_ (vide MOLIÈRE, _George Dandin_, i. 2, _ad fin._), _une fine mouche_.]

Compliment

_Sans compliment_ = Really; sincerely; I mean really what I say.

Compte

_Voici votre argent, voyez si vous avez votre compte_ = Here is your money, see if it is right.

_Erreur n’est pas compte_ = Errors excepted.

_Je renonce à ce commerce, car je n’y trouve pas mon compte_ = I am giving up this business, for I make nothing by it.

_Ne l’offensez pas, car vous n’y trouverez pas votre compte_ = Do not offend him, for you would get more than you cared for.

_Nous nous amusons à bon compte_ = We amuse ourselves at a small cost.

_Vous êtes loin du compte_ = You are out in your reckoning.

_On peut toujours à bon compte revenir_ = There is no harm in examining an account twice.

_Je mets cela en ligne de compte_ = I take that into account.

_Faisons un compte rond_ = Let us make it even money.

_Pour se rendre compte de la chose_ = To get a clear idea of the matter.

_Nous sommes de compte à demi dans l’entreprise_ = We are partners on equal terms in the venture; We are going halves in the venture.

_À chacun son compte_ = To give every one his due.

_Au bout du compte_ = Upon the whole; After all.

_Enfin de compte_ = (lit.) When the addition is made; (fig.) When all is told; When all is said and done.

_Il a son compte_ (or, _Son compte est réglé_) = 1. (lit.) He has his due. 2. (pop.) He is done for. (See _Affaire_.)

Compter

_Il lui compte les morceaux_ = He grudges him the very food he eats.

*_Qui compte sans son hôte compte deux fois_ = He who reckons without his host must reckon again; Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched. (See _Chômer_ and _Peau_.)

_Comptez dessus_ = Depend upon it.

Concurrence

_Vous pouvez faire des commandes en mon nom jusqu’à concurrence de 5,000 francs_ = You can order goods in my name to the amount of £200.

Conduire

_Il conduit bien sa barque_ = (fig.) He plays his cards well.

Conduite

_Tous ses camarades lui firent la conduite_ = All his companions saw him off.

Confesser

_C’est le diable à confesser_ = It is terribly hard to do.

Confession

_On lui donnerait le bon Dieu sans confession_ = They would trust him to any extent (because of his saintly appearance).

Connaissance

_En connaissance de cause_ = Knowingly.

_Je suis en pays de connaissance_ = I am among people I know, among old friends.

Connaître

_Il est connu comme le loup blanc_ = He is known to everybody.

_Il gagne à être connu_ = He improves upon acquaintance.

_Je ne le connais ni d’Ève ni d’Adam_ = I do not know him from Adam.

_Je ne le connais ni de près ni de loin_ = I do not know him at all.

_En chiffres connus_ = In plain figures.

_Vous y connaissez-vous en vins?_ = Are you a judge of wine?

_Je m’y connais_ = I understand all about it; I am an authority on it.

_Connu!_ (fam.) = That is an old tale.

_Je la connais, celle-là_ (pop.) = That is nothing new; I’ve been “had” before.

Conseil

*_À parti pris pas de conseil_ = Advice is useless to one who has made up his mind.

*_La nuit porte conseil_ = Sleep upon it; Time will show a plan.

_Il a bientôt assemblé son conseil_ = He makes up his mind without consulting any one.

Conseiller

“_Aimez qu’on vous conseille et non pas qu’on vous loue_” = Prefer advice to praise. [BOILEAU, _Art Poétique_, i. 192.]

Consentir

*_Qui ne dit mot consent_ = Silence gives consent.

Conséquence

_Cela ne tire pas à conséquence_ = That is of no importance.

Conte

_Des contes à dormir debout_ = Tedious, nonsensical tales; Old wives’ tales.

Contentement

*_Contentement passe richesse_ = Enough is as good as a feast.

Conter

_Il vous en conte de belles_ = He is deceiving you finely; He is telling you fine tales.

Contrôle

_Vous êtes porté sur le contrôle_ = Your name is placed on the roll.

Contrôler

_Une chaîne contrôlée_ = A hall-marked chain.

Convertir

_Vous prêchez un converti_ = You are talking to a man who thinks with you.

Coq

_Il est comme un coq en pâte_ = He is in clover.

[Lit. one kept separately from the others to be fattened; _pâte_ is its food. _Comme rats en paille_ is sometimes used.]

_Il est le coq du village_ = He is the cock of the walk.

_Des coq-à-l’âne_ = Cock and bull stories; Disconnected rigmaroles.

Coquille

_À qui vendez-vous vos coquilles?_ = Tell that to the marines. (See _Autre_.)

[CHARLES D’ORLÉANS, _Rondeau_, 148.]

_Rentrer dans sa coquille_ = To draw in one’s horns.

_Il fait bien valoir ses coquilles_ = He praises his goods too much.

Cor

_À cor et à cri_ = With hue and cry; Vehemently.

_Demander à cor et à cri_ = To clamour for.

Corde

_Être au bout de sa corde_ (or, _son rouleau_) = To be at the end of one’s tether; To have no more to say.

_Vous verrez beau jeu si la corde ne rompt_ = You will see fine fun if no accident happens, if no hitch occurs.

_Cette affaire a passé à fleur de corde_ = That business only just succeeded.

_Cet homme file sa corde_ = That man will bring himself to the gallows.

_Il ne faut pas parler de corde dans la maison d’un pendu_ = We must not make personal remarks; We must not allude to the skeleton in the cupboard. (See _Boiteux_.)

_Il a de la corde de pendu dans sa poche_ = He has the devil’s own luck.

[A piece of the rope with which a man had been hanged was, and is even now, considered as a charm against ill-luck. Archbishop Trench adduces other proverbs in reference to the man whose luck never forsakes him, so that from the very things which would be another man’s ruin, he extricates himself not only without harm but with credit: _e.g._ the Arabic: “Cast him into the Nile, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth”; the German: “Würf er einen Groschen aufs Dach, fiel ihm ein Taler herunter” = If he threw a penny on to the roof, a dollar would come back to him.]

_Il tient la corde_ = He is leading; He is first favourite.

_Vous touchez la corde sensible_ = You are touching the sore point.

_Ne touchez pas cette corde_ = (fig.) Do not speak of that.

_Cela est usé jusqu’à la corde_ = (lit.) That is worn threadbare; (fig.) That is thoroughly hackneyed.

Cordeau

_Aux États-Unis les rues sont tirées au cordeau_ = In the United States the streets are perfectly straight.

Cordon

_Cordon, s’il vous plaît_ = Open the door, please (to porters in Paris).

Corne

_Ne faites pas de cornes à ce livre_ = Do not dog’s-ear that book.

Corneilles

_Bayer aux corneilles_ = To stare (_or_, gape) about vacantly.

Corps

_C’est un drôle de corps_ = He is an odd fellow, a queer fish.

_Nous verrons ce qu’il a dans le corps_ = We will see what he is made of.

_Il s’est jeté à corps perdu dans cette affaire_ = He threw himself headlong (_or_, with might and main) into the matter.

_Je le saisis à bras le corps_ = I seized him round the waist (in a struggle).

_Ils se sont battus corps à corps_ = They fought hand to hand.

_Je l’ai fait à mon corps défendant_ = I did it reluctantly, in self-defence.

_Prendre du corps_ = To get fat.

_Il a l’âme chevillée dans le corps_ = He has as many lives as a cat.

Corsaire

*_À corsaire, corsaire et demi_ = Set a thief to catch a thief.

[“Ars deluditur arte.”--CATO.

“A trompeur, trompeur et demy.”--CHARLES D’ORLÉANS, _Rondel_, 46.]

*_Corsaires contre corsaires ne font pas leurs affaires_ = Dog does not eat dog. (See _Loup_.)

[“Corsaires contre corsaires, L’un l’autre s’attaquant ne font pas leurs affaires.”--LA FONTAINE, _Tribut envoyé par les animaux à Alexandre_, imitating Régnier, _Satire_ xii., _ad fin._, who took it from the Spanish _De corsario a corsario no se llevan que los barriles._]

Corvée

_C’est une vraie corvée!_ = What a nuisance! What a bore!

[_Corvée_ originally referred to feudal forced labour. It is now a military term, and means “fatigue duty”; hence, any unpleasant task.]

Côte

_On lui compterait les côtes_ = He is nothing but skin and bone.

Côté

_Être sur le côté_ (or, _flanc_) = To be on one’s back, ill.

_Mettre les rieurs de son côté_ = To turn the laugh against a man.

_Vous êtes du bon côté_ = You are on the right side.

_Vous êtes du côté du manche_ = You are on the winning side.

_Donner à côté_ = To miss the mark.

Coton

_Depuis sa faillite il file un mauvais coton_ (fam.) = Since his failure, his health (_or_, reputation) has entirely broken down.

Coucher

_On est plus couché que debout_ = Life is short compared with eternity.

_Je l’ai couché en joue_ = I aimed at him.

_Coucher dans son fourreau_ = To go to sleep without undressing; To turn in all standing (nav.).

*_Comme on fait son lit, on se couche_ = As you make your bed, so you must lie on it.

_Se coucher comme les poules_ = To go to bed with the sun, very early.

_Coucher sur la dure_ = To lie on the ground, on the floor.

Coude

_Il ne se mouche pas du coude_ (fam.) = 1. He is no fool. 2. He does things in grand style. (See _Pied_.)

_Il a mal au coude_ (fam.) = He is very lazy. (See _Main_.)

Coudée

_Avoir les coudées franches_ = (lit.) To have elbow-room; (fig.) To have full scope.

Coudre

_On ne sait quelle pièce y coudre_ = One does not know how to prevent (_or_, cure) it.

Coule

_C’est un homme à la coule_ (pop.) = He is a smart, knowing chap.

[Compare: _Il la connaît dans les coins, celui-là_ = He knows his business in every corner.]

Couler

_Ce qu’il dit coule de source_ = What he says comes from the heart, comes fluently from his lips.

_Cela coule de source_ = That follows naturally.

_Couler à fond_ = (of ships) To founder; (of persons) To be ruined.

*_Il faut laisser couler l’eau_ = What can’t be cured must be endured.

Coulisse

_Faire les yeux en coulisse_ = To make sheep’s eyes; To ogle.

Coup

*_Faire d’une pierre deux coups_ = To kill two birds with one stone.

_Cette démarche a porté coup_ = That step told, had its effect.

_Sans coup férir_ = Without striking a blow.

_Il a fait un bon coup_ = He has made a good bargain.

_Il vient de faire un mauvais coup_ = He has just committed a crime.

_Pour le coup il ne m’échappera pas_ = This time he will not escape me.

_J’irai à coup sûr_ = I shall go to a certainty.

_C’est donner un coup d’épée dans l’eau_ = It is an unsuccessful attempt. (See _Eau_.)

_Il m’a porté un coup fourré_ = He struck me a blow in the dark.

[This is a term derived from fencing; _un coup fourré_ is a blow struck at an adversary at the same moment that he strikes.]

_Le coup vaut la balle_ = It is worth trying.

_Il faut toujours qu’elle donne son coup de patte_ = She always makes sarcastic (_or_, unpleasant) remarks.

_C’est un coup monté_ = It is a pre-arranged affair.

_On lui a monté le coup_ = They induced him to do it; They deceived him.

_Il a bu un coup de trop_ = He has had a drop too much.

_C’est venu après coup_ = It came too late, after the event.

_Faire les cent coups_ = To amuse oneself noisily; To play all sorts of tricks.

_Être aux cent coups_ = To be half mad (distracted) with anxiety; To be in the greatest difficulties.

_C’est un coup qui porte_ = That is a home-thrust.

_Avoir un coup de marteau_ = To be a little touched.

_J’ai écrit trois lettres coup sur coup_ = I wrote three letters one after the other.

_Un coup de sang_ = A rush of blood to the head.

_Un coup de Jarnac_ = A treacherous blow; A blow below the belt.

[In a duel before the whole Court in 1547, Gui Chabot, Seigneur de Jarnac, wounded his adversary, La Châtaigneraie, with an unfair stroke. La Châtaigneraie refused to survive such an affront, tore off the bandages placed over his wound, and bled to death.]

_Un coup de fouet_ = (lit.) A crack of a whip; (fig.) A sudden contraction of the muscles of the leg (or back).

_Un coup d’état_ = A sudden, unexpected act of policy; A violent change in the Government (_e.g._ 18 brumaire 1799, or 2 décembre 1851).

_Un coup de fion_ (fam.) = A finishing touch.

_Donner le coup de grâce_ = To give the finishing stroke.

_Il gagna mille francs tout d’un coup_ = He won £40 at one shot, all at once, at one “go.”

_Il s’en alla tout à coup_ = He went away suddenly, abruptly.

[_Tout d’un coup_ and _tout à coup_ are frequently used indiscriminately, even by French people.]

_Un coup de tête_ = A moment of passion; a rash action.

_Donner un coup de main_ = To give a helping hand.

_J’ai manqué mon coup_ = I missed my shot; I failed.

_Ils l’ont moulu de coups_ = They beat him black and blue.

[A well-known quotation from Corneille runs:

“Mes pareils à deux fois ne se font pas connaître Et pour leurs coups d’essai veulent des coups de maître.”-- _Le Cid_, ii. 2.]

Coupe

*_Il y a loin de la coupe aux lèvres_ = There is many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip.

[The Greek πολλὰ μεταξὺ πέλει κύλικος καὶ χείλεος ἄκρου is said to have had its origin in the following circumstances:--Anceaus, an ancient King of Samos, treated with extreme cruelty his slaves who were planting a vineyard for him; until at length one more ill-used than the rest prophesied that for his cruelty he should never drink of its wine. When the first vintage was over the master bade this slave fill him a goblet, and, taking it in his hands, he taunted him with the failure of his prophecy. The slave answered with these words; and as he was speaking news was brought of a huge wild boar that was wasting the vineyard. Setting down the untasted cup and snatching up a spear the master went out to meet the wild boar and was slain in the encounter. Compare the Latin: Inter calicem et os multa cadunt; and the Spanish: De la mano a la boca se pierde la sopa.

Other variants in French are:

_Entre la bouche et le verre Le vin souvent tombe à terre._

_Vin versé n’est pas avalé._

_En amour, en cour, et à la chasse. Chacun ne prend ce qu’il pourchasse._]

_Mettre en coupe réglée_ = (lit.) To cut down periodically (of forests); (fig.) To lay regularly under contribution.

Couper

_Il s’est coupé dans ses réponses_ = He contradicted himself in his answers.

_Il lui a coupé la parole_ = He interrupted him.

_Son père lui a coupé les vivres_ = His father stopped his allowance.

_Ce verre de bière m’a coupé les jambes_ = My legs feel shaky after that glass of beer.

_Couper un cheveu en quatre_ = To split hairs.

_Coupons le câble_ = Let us take the decisive step.

[Sieyès, June 10, 1789.]

_Cela lui a coupé le sifflet_ (pop.) = That stopped his mouth; That shut him up.

_Je vais y couper_ (pop.) = I am going to “cut” that; I am not going to do it.

Courage

_Prenez votre courage à deux mains_ = Summon up all your courage.

_Courage! tout finira bien_ = Cheer up! all will yet be well.

Courant

_Je vous écrirai fin courant_ (commercial) = I will write to you at the end of the present month.

_Je ne suis pas au courant de l’affaire_ = I have not the latest information on the point; I am not up (well posted) in the matter.

Courir

_Par le temps qui court_ = Nowadays; As times go.

_Être fou à courir les champs_ = To be as mad as a March hare.

_Nous courons même fortune_ = We are rowing in the same boat.

“_Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir à point_” = It is no good hurrying if you have not started in time.

[LA FONTAINE, _Le lièvre et la tortue_, vi. 10.]

Courrier

_Répondez par retour du courrier_ = Answer by return of post.

_Faire son courrier_ (commercial) = To write one’s letters.

Courroie

_Il faut lui serrer la courroie_ = We must curtail his allowance; We must keep him on short commons.

_Faire du cuir d’autrui large courroie_ = To be generous with other people’s money.

Cours

_Les pièces des États du Pape n’ont plus cours_ = The coins of the Papal States are no longer legal tender.

_Un capitaine au long cours_ = A captain of a trading vessel going to foreign ports.

Court

_Je suis resté court_ = I did not know what to say.

_Je l’ai pris à court_ = I took him unawares.

_Il se trouve à court (d’argent)_ = He is short of money.

_Dites cela tout court_ = Say that and no more.

_Il l’a appelé Jean tout court_ = He called him simply (_or_, just) John (without Mr. or surname).

Couteau

_Ils sont à couteaux tirés_ = They are at daggers drawn.

[Formerly: _Ils en sont aux couteaux tirés._]

_Aller en Flandre sans couteau_ = To embark in an enterprise without the necessary resources.

[Also: _Aller aux mûres sans crochet._]

_C’est comme le couteau de Jeannot_ = That is like the Irishman’s gun (said of anything that has been mended so often as to have nothing of the original left).

Coûter

_Rien ne lui coûte_ = He sticks at nothing; He spares no trouble.

_Coûte que coûte_ = Cost what it may.

_Coûter les yeux de la tête_ = To cost a small fortune, a fearful lot of money.

Coutume

*_Une fois n’est pas coutume_ = It is only this once; One swallow does not make a summer; Once does not count.

Coutumier

_Il est coutumier du fait_ = It is not the first time he has done it.

Couture

_Ils étaient battus à plate couture_ = They were beaten hollow.

Couvercle

_Couvercle digne du chaudron_ = The lid matches the caldron; They are a precious pair; _Arcades ambo._

Couvert

_Mettez le couvert_ = Lay the cloth (for dinner).

_Mettez un couvert de plus_ = Put another knife and fork (for another guest); Lay for one more.

Cracher

_C’est son père tout craché_ (fam.) = He is the very spit (_or_, less fam., image) of his father.

_Il a craché en l’air et ça lui est retombé sur le nez_ (pop.) = He wished to do harm to another but it recoiled on himself.

_Il ne crache pas dessus_ = He does not despise it; He likes it very much.

Crémaillère

_Pendre la crémaillère_ = To give a house warming.

[Crémaillère = tige de fer suspendue au dessus du foyer d’une cheminée garnie de crans, qui permettent de la fixer plus ou moins haut, et terminée par un bout recourbé auquel on accroche une marmite. Compare Longfellow’s poem “The Hanging of the Crane.”]

Crever

_Le roi Jean a crevé les yeux à Arthur_ = King John caused Arthur’s eyes to be put out.

_Je ne voyais pas mon livre, cependant il me crevait les yeux_ = I did not see my book, yet it was staring me in the face (right under my nose).

Cri

_Il n’y a qu’un cri sur son compte_ = There is only one opinion about him.

_Elle poussa les hauts cris_ = She screamed at the top of her voice; She complained loudly.

_C’est le dernier cri_ = It is the last thing out.

Cribler

_Criblé de mitraille_ = Riddled with grape-shot.

_Criblé de dettes_ = Over head and ears in debt.

Crier

_Crier famine sur un tas de blé_ = To cry out for what one has in plenty.

_Plumer la poule sans la faire crier_ = To fleece a person adroitly, without his perceiving it.

Crin

_Un républicain à tous crins_ = Every inch a republican.

[Properly of a horse with flowing mane and tail, hence thorough, strong.]

Crochet

_Il a trente ans, et cependant il vit aux crochets de sa mère_ = He is thirty years old, and yet his mother has to keep him.

Croire

_Il s’en croit beaucoup_ = He thinks a great deal of himself.

_C’est à n’y pas croire_ = It is not to be believed; It is so extraordinary (incredible, preposterous) that we can hardly believe it.

_A l’en croire il a eu tous les prix_ = If he is to be believed he won all the prizes.

“_Et chacun croit fort aisément Ce qu’il craint et ce qu’il désire._” = The wish is father to the thought.

[LA FONTAINE, _Fables_, i. 6. Le loup et le renard.

Compare 2 _Henry IV._, iv. 5.

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.”--CÆSAR, iii. 18.]

Croix

_Aller au devant de quelqu’un avec la croix et la bannière_ = To receive any one with great fuss and ceremony (often used ironically).

Croquer

_Votre enfant est gentil à croquer_ = Your child is a charming little fellow.

_Il croquait le marmot_ = He was dancing attendance; He was cooling his heels.

[Littré gives as the explanation of this obscure expression that artists while waiting for their patrons used to draw pictures of little monkeys (_marmot_) in the vestibule. Others assert that in the antechambers of the rich were to be found dishes of cakes in the form of little monkeys, which visitors used to eat (_croquer_) whilst waiting. But both explanations need confirmation.]

Cru

_S’agenouiller à cru_ = To kneel on the bare ground, on the cold stone (without a hassock or carpet).

[Literally, to kneel on the bare knee, but the quality has passed from the person to the object.]

_C’est de son cru_ = That is of his own creation.

Cruche

_C’est une vraie cruche_ (fam.) = She is a silly goose.

Cuir

_Pester entre cuir et chair_ (fam.) = To fume inwardly.

_Faire des cuirs_ = To drop one’s h’s.

[Really these are faults made by uneducated French people in pronunciation, consisting in sounding _s_ for _t_, or _vice versa_, when running their words together or in pronouncing these letters when they do not occur, as: _ils étaient_ z_ici_, for _ils étaient ici_.]

Cuirasse

_Les observations glissent sur lui comme sur une cuirasse_ = Blame slips off him as water off a duck’s back.

Cuire

_Vous viendrez cuire à mon four_ = Some day you will need my assistance.

_Il vous en cuira_ = You will smart for it.

_Avoir son pain cuit_ = To have one’s bread and cheese, a competency.

Culbute

*_Au bout du fossé la culbute_ = At the end of the run comes the fall.

[This expression refers to those who, from carelessness or wrong-headedness, are resigned to the consequences of their bad conduct.]

Cuver

_Cuver son vin_ = To sleep oneself sober.