10 french idioms based on food or cooking

SALADS, APPLES, AND ONIONS ARE ALL USED IN COMMON PHRASES. HOW MANY DO YOU KNOW? Just as in English, the French language is full of weird and wonderful expressions with completely different

meanings than their literal translations. Idioms appear frequently in informal spoken language, and there are a number of common French idioms which revolve around food. Here are some you

can slip into your conversations to help take your French up a notch. RACONTER DES SALADES - TO TELL TALL TALES If someone is telling a story that seems a little too extravagant to be true,

you can use the phrase _raconter des salades_, which literally translates to telling salads. It is the English equivalent of telling tall tales or to spin a yarn, meaning the story is

unbelievable. The phrase comes from the idea that a good salad needs lots of quality ingredients, just like a good lie needs the right balance of interesting details and humour. _Ça suffit !

Arrête de raconter des salades là_ ! (That’s enough! Stop telling tall tales now!) TOMBER DANS LES POMMES - TO FAINT _Tomber dans les pommes _means to faint, rather than 'to fall in

the apples' as the literal translation suggests. It is thought to derive from the phrase popularised in 1830 by writer George Sand; _être dans les pommes cuites_, which was used to

imply extreme tiredness due to the idea of wading through the thick texture of cooked apples. However, there are some other theories, some of which are discussed in our article below. READ

MORE: EIGHT FRENCH EXPRESSIONS AROUND THE WORD APPLE OCCUPE-TOI DE TES OIGNONS - MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS Literally this translates as look after your onions, but if someone says this to you

it is probably best to back off, as they are telling you to mind your business. The phrase is thought to come from the 20th century when women were granted some independence from men by

having an area of land in the garden that they could grow onions to sell. However, it could also be linked to the fact that in the 20th century, _oignon_ was used to mean _cul_ (arse) or

_pieds_ (feet). This meant that _occupe-toi de tes pieds _and_ occupe-toi de tes fesses _became_ occupe-toi de tes oignons_. POUR UNE BOUCHÉE DE PAIN - FOR NEXT TO NOTHING _Une bouchée _is a

mouthful so the full phrase is 'for a mouthful of bread', however it is the French equivalent to our 'for next to nothing' or 'for peanuts'. Incidentally,

_pour des cacahuètes_ can be used as well, meaning ‘for peanuts’ just as in English. _Au vide-greniers on peut acheter des choses pour une bouchée de pain_. (At the car boot sale you can buy

things for next to nothing.) EN FAIRE TOUT UN FROMAGE - TO MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL _En faire tout un fromage _means to make a mountain out of a hill or to kick up a fuss. The

phrase comes from the idea that a product as simple as milk can make something elaborate like cheese. It has negative connotations of being very overdramatic about something. READ ALSO: TRY

THESE 17 FRENCH EXPRESSIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS LES CAROTTES SONT CUITES - THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL This idiom has a fairly bleak backstory; in the 18th century _avoir les

carottes cuites_ was used to describe people who were dying. This then became les carottes sont cuites (the carrots are cooked) which is used to describe a situation with no hope. SE REFILER

LA PATATE CHAUDE - TO DROP SOMETHING LIKE A HOT POTATO This means to pass on a task that you don’t want to do or to drop something like a hot potato. It actually originated from the English

expressions, with ‘_patate_’ a familiar way of saying _pomme de terre_ (potato). ÊTRE BONNE POIRE - TO BE A PUSHOVER If someone says you are a _bonne poire_, it means they are calling you a

pushover. It is thought that the expression originated from the fact that when a pear is ripe and ready, it falls from the tree of its own accord, in the same way someone who is slightly

naive may walk straight into an open trap. ÊTRE SOUPE AU LAIT - TO HAVE A SHORT TEMPER This expression comes from the idea of a casserole de lait which bubbles over violently and suddenly

when left too long. If someone is described as _être soupe au lait_, they have a short fuse and can get angry quickly. CHANTER COMME UNE CASSEROLE - TO SING OFF KEY This phrase appeared in

the early 20th century when writer Léon Bloy suggested that casserole pots banging together made the same unpleasant noise as someone who sings offkey. Related articles DO YOU KNOW THE

ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF THESE FIVE FRENCH EXPRESSIONS UNDERSTAND FRENCH BETTER WITH THESE 14 SLANG PHRASES