1. Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe
- quelqu'un ou quelquechose arrive au mauvais moment
This idiomatic image seems to be a favourite among students as it truly expresses the feeling of finding a hair in your soup! When you 'arrive as a hair in the soup', you have come at the worst possible time. You really don't feel wanted!
Quand je suis arrivé à la fête, tout le monde m'a regardé. J'avais l'impression d'avoir arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe!
2. Les carottes sont cuites
- une situation sont espoir. Tout est perdu.
'The carrots are cooked' suggests a misfortune or a situation without hope. Being unable to turn back the clock.
FUN FACT: 'Les carottes sont cuites' was code during WWII on the London Radio to trigger operations in German-occupied territories.
Ami 1: J'ai reçu de mauvaises notes...
Amis 2: Fin, les carottes sont cuites!
3. En faire tout un fromage
- faire toute une affaire de quelquechose qui n'est pas très important.
'To make a whole cheese out of something' is to turn a nothing situation in to a big deal. I looooove cheese, so I always tell my students you can certainly have too much of a good thing!
Elève: Madame, elle a pris mon stylo!
Prof: N'en fait pas tout un fromage!
4. Rester planté comme un poireau
- l'action d'attendre longuement (immobile et sans bouger)
I always share this expression with my students as I find that many of my students don't know what a leek is! To 'stay put as a leek' is to wait a long time. If you are waiting days for something to happen or tapping your foot to meet someone, you might start smelling like an onion!
Personne 1: L'autobus va bientôt arriver?
Personne 2: J'espere que oui! Je reste planter comme un poireau ici, il y a 20 minutes!
5. Raconter des salades
- Dire des mensonges. Dire des choses qui ne sont pas vraies.
Who doesn't love to tell a few salads or 'tall tales'? (Especially as a teacher to my students...!) This is an expression particularly useful for the end-of-school (Year 12) certificate oral exam when a student is launching in to a good story. As in, '"Je ne vous raconte pas de salades quand je vous explique cette histoire si bizarre...", I'm not telling you fibs when I explain this strange story to you!
As I have only 'scratched the surface' on French idioms with food, write your favourites in the comment section below!
I love the butter in France! Who doesn't enjoy a dab of creamy salty butter on your baguette? So the idiom I like is "Vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre" like the English "To have your cake and eat it too".
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