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_.]