Botanical Idiom - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

A botanical idiom is a Idiotisme in connection with the vegetable . Generally untranslatable in other languages, the French language includes/understands the many ones including one certain number are listed below.

Category: French expressions|French expressions

With

Artichoke

to have an artichoke heart: to be inconstant in love

Apricot

to have apricot in madness: to reach the roof of the excitation (slang)
split apricot: sex of the Woman (slang)

The ace you considering apricot of the cantinière, The ace you considering his p' tit split apricot; It is black, black and white, It is split, by behind, It is black, black and white, It is split by front.

Quotation of Maurice Fombeure, Soldier (Gallimard, 1935)-->

Asperge

it is asparagus (while speaking about a person): nobody too large and too thin

Eggplant

an eggplant (in Paris): appointed with the control of the parking (because of the color of the uniform)

B

Banana

hairstyle in banana: style of hairstyle which carried the first rockers
to have the banana: will have a great smile or to be in great form
thus, eh banana! (popular): species of imbecile!
to be made bananer: to be played, swindled

Corn

to eat its grass corn: to waste its goods
to have corn: to have money
to be mown like corns: not to have more one penny

Branch

to saw the branch on which one sat: to compromise its own position

C

Peanut

not to be worth a peanut: not to be worth large thing

Carotte

the carrots are cooked: all is lost.
to go to carrot: to be mû by the lure of gain.
to handle the stick and carrot: to justify successively by the threat and the reward.

Mushroom

to step on the gas: to accelerate
a mushroom town: new city with very demographic strong growth

stupid cabbage

like cabbage: childish, easy.
to make cabbage: to fail.
to assemble cabbage: to be made illusions.
a cabbage sheet: a bad newspaper.
to spare the goat and cabbage: to avoid taking party.
to make its lambsquarters of…: to regale…

Cauliflower

cauliflower ears: deformed ears, separated.

Lemon-yellow

the lemon (slang): the head.
to run on lemon: to importune.

Pumpkin

to have the head like a pumpkin: to be tired, to have many concerns.
nothing to have in pumpkin: to be stupid.

Coconut

to shake the coconut: to make evolve/move abruptly a too stable situation

Gherkin

a gherkin: a person not very smart

E

shallot

to make the race with shallot: to make the race for the capacity.

spinach

to put butter in spinaches: to improve its situation.

F

Fayot

to make the fayot: to make zeal
fayoter: to bring back

Sheet

to be hard sheet: to be deaf
to tremble like a sheet: to tremble of fear (or cold)
sheet of cabbage: ear

semi-fig, semi-grape: ambiguous

strawberry

To be with the strawberries. : to be beside the subject
the strawberry (slang): the head: “to bring back its strawberry”
To be with the strawberries. : to have the shake
To want of strawberry: to be pregnant or think the being

H

Bean

to run on bean: to importune.
it is the end of beans: it is the end of all
to work for beans: to work for nothing.
to have the line French bean: to be very thin

L

Vegetable

a vegetable: a patient in a vegetative state.
bigwig: important character.

M

maroon

crooked lawyer: lawyer dishonest person and corruptible.
a chestnut: a punch.
to be maroon: not to draw any benefit from its efforts.
unqualified doctor: corruptible doctor dishonest person and, doctor practitioner of the criminal abortions.
to draw chestnuts from fire: to make hardest of a work for the benefit of another (in reference to the Fountain).

melon

to have melon: to have the famous person.

NR

Turnip

a turnip: a bad film.

Medlar

to work for medlars: to work for nothing

with nut: without any value
nut of chop: the fleshiest part of the chop
cushion of veal: side of meat (in the thigh)
a knob of butter: in kitchen, quantity are equivalent to the size of a nut

O

Onion

to put in row onions: to line up on only one file.
to look after somebody with small onions: to occupy itself some attentively.
to deal with its onions: to deal with its businesses
to have it in onion: to undergo a failure (slang).
onion skin: red color orange (for a wine).
onion: fob watch.
onion (popular): Hallux valgus

Nettle

to throw the froc with the nettles: to give up, resign.
not to push grandmother in the nettles: not to misuse.

Sorrel

to have sorrel, to make sorrel: to be rich, to grow rich.

P

Potato

to have close-cropped potato of it: to be exceeded.
to have some large on potato: to be very sad
refiler the hot potato: to true itself on another of a embarasssant problem.
thus goes, eh potato! (abusive): species of imbecile. (see banana)
To have potato: to be in form.
To roll out of drive out-potatos: in Cycling, being between two groups without succeeding in catching up with the first and being made catch up with by the second.
a potato = 1000 frank (note by extension ten potato = 10000 francs and hundred potatos 100000 francs)

fishing

to have fishing: to be in form
to be caught a fishing in full pear: a blow in the figure.
to be pêchu (for an object): to have taste, class, interest.
to pose its fishing: to make excrement

Dandelion

eat dandelions by the root: to be dead.

Apple

to be high like three apples: not to be very large.
Adam's apple: the glottis; its projection being more visible at the man (reference to apple given by Eve who would have remained “wedged”).
to faint: to disappear.
a rounded apple: somebody of credulous
to have some large on apple: to be full with spite.

Pear

a pear: somebody who lets himself make.

Leek

to make leek: to wait a long time without moving.
a leek (Picardy patois): a wart.
to discharge leek (vulgar): to masturbate or to have an sex act (for a man).

plum

a plum: an infringment
for plums: for nothing

Prune

a prune: a bullet.

R

Radish

not to have more one radish: more not to have one penny, to be without resources.

Grape

semi-fig, semi-grape: ambiguous, dubitative (for a person)
to be grape: to be in a advanced state of intoxication

pink

to be fresh like a pink: to have a pretty dye, rested air.
not to feel the pink: to feel bad.
to send on the pinks: to get rid of.
to discover the pot with the pinks: to discover the truth.
a mawkish story: a romantic history.
it is not pink without spines: any pleasure comprises its share of sorrow.

S

salad

to tell salads: to give confused and false explanations.
“what a salad! ”: which confusion.
police van: Fourgonnette of police force

Sapin

that feels the fir tree: all is lost, in reference to the odor of a Cercueil manufactured in fir tree.
a costar (costume) in fir tree: a coffin

T

Tomato

owner! a tomato! : with the Bar, a mixture of Pastis and syrup of grenadine.
to be red like a tomato: to have the red face

See too

biblical Expressions
current Expressions of the marine language
Marseilles Expressions
animalist Idiom
toponymic Idiom
Interpretation of expressions in Québécois language of the signs
Words and expressions of Toulouse

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