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
Related articles
- ‘Ears to Idioms: to Be the Belle of the Ball (carloinglese.wordpress.com)
un secret de polichinelle 