December 6, 2009

Useful French Formulations.

Il a une tête à claques: someone you want to slap - literally, "a head to slap." (Used by Xavier in reference to American heros in epic, apocalyptic films, where the antagonist is always surrounded by stupid people who prevent him from saving the world. Tête à claques also applies to the woman who falls in love with him believing that she will help him, but in the end, she doesn't. And perhaps most of all, tête à claques applies to the teenage boy in the end-of-the-world film who has no dad and really identifies with the hero figure. Xavier would like to slap them all).

Il est bête à manger du foin: dumb as a doorknob, literally "so stupid he eats hay." (Used frequently).

2 comments:

Jill said...

I love the last one. I'm going to use it, but in English of course or no one around her will understand the amazing insult that it is.

Monica said...

those are good! French idioms are always so amusing...

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