french idioms

Faire une réponse de Normand

This idiom translates directly into English as ‘to give the reply of a Norman’, which has the equivalent meaning of ‘to not give a straight answer’; being ambiguous or evasive when answering a question. A Norman here refers to inhabitants to a region in Northern France, Normandy.

Normandy has historically been economically heavily reliant on agriculture, hence the inhabitants will have been comprised predominantly of farmers, which means that the characteristics associated with the region of Normandy will have been based on the language, habits and behaviour of the farmers, with this idiom being just one example.

The idiom comes from the stereotype in French culture that there is a supposed unwillingness of Norman farmers to commit themselves; giving neither a yes or no answer. One of the possible origins of this idiom, explored by the German Walter Gottschalk in his book Die sprichwörtlichen redensarten der französischen sprache, translating as The proverbial sayings of the French language, is that in Normandy there was an ancient law which allowed anyone who signed a contract to retract within 24 hours. This could over time could have become the attitude of Normans not only to signing contracts but to any form of making an agreement; no sooner making an agreement than breaking it.

An example of a situation when this idiom could be used is:

“Il a fait une réponse de Normand en disant qu’il n’est ni pour ni contre.”

“He didn’t give a straight answer by saying he was neither for not against.”

 

Sources:

The Cambridge French-English Thesaurus

Reverso Dictionnaire

Open Library

Wikipedia

Collins- easy learning- French Idioms

 

Francois Hollande- il est un Normand?

Francois Hollande- il est un Normand?

To cry like Mary Magdalene

This idiom is used both in French ‘Pleurer comme une Madeleine’ and in Spanish ‘Llorar como una magdalena’ which translates directly in English as ‘To cry like Mary Magdalene’, with an equivalent idiom of ‘To cry your eyes out’, which describes a situation in which one cries excessively.

This idiom has religious connotations; Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus, a prominent figure in Christianity believed to be the ‘Son of God’, who died as a result of crucifixion; a grisly form of execution which involves having the criminal tied or nailed to a large wooden cross by their hands and feet and left to die.

Mary Magdalene was one of the very few female followers of Jesus mentioned in the Bible, and some historians believe that Mary and Jesus were lovers, which has been a source of much debate.

When Jesus was crucified and died at the cross, Mary Magdalene was pictured kneeling at his cross and weeping for him, which gives premise to the idiom of crying to such an extent that it could be compared to the tears shed by Mary Magdalene.

Both the French language and the Spanish language share this idiom, which is likely down to both France and Hispanic countries being predominantly Christian countries, with many of their idioms being derived from the Bible and religious beliefs.

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Sources:

Collins- French Idioms
Collins- Spanish Idioms

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Regagner ses pénates

The French idiom ‘regagner ses pénates’ translates directly as ‘to go back to your household gods’ in English, however the equivalent meaning of the idiom is ‘to go home’.

‘Pénates’ from the Latin ‘Penates’ was an ancient Roman deity associated with the home, to which Roman people would associate with food, throwing some of their food into the fire on the hearth at every family meal, to appease Penates.

The Latin word ‘penus’ translates as food or provisions, named after the god Penates. This god was associated originally with the storeroom, but eventually was worshipped as a protector of the home, leading to the formation of the concept of ‘Penates Publici’, the Roman state’s equivalent of Penates.

An example of how this idiom can be used is ‘I am tired, I am going to go home’, translating as ‘Je suis fatigué, je vais regagner mes pénates’.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia Mythica
Universalium

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lares-and-penates