Daejeong, le 26 mars 2021
On this last Friday of writing in another language than English here are some of Québec’s so many local expressions. My anglo friends rarely get their meaning. I give you them with literal translations and what, I think, they mean.
“S’enfarger dans les fleurs du tapis”
To trip over the flowers in the carpet = To look for problems where there are no problems
“À cause tu fais simple de même?”
Because, you are so simple like this? = Why are you acting so stupidly?
“Ça prend tout mon p’tit change”
It takes me all my little change = It’s really difficult
“Je suis aux petits oiseaux”
I am at the little birds = I’m really happy
“C’est don ben broche à foin”
It’s all so like a hay fence = It’s really badly done
“Ça prend pas la tête à Papineau”
It doesn’t take Papineau’s head = It’s not that difficult
“Il cogne des clous”
He’s hammering nails = He can’t stay awake
“Calme toé le pompon”
Calm your pompom = Calm down
“Je me suis fait passer un sapin”
I was given a fir tree = I got a bad deal
“Niaise pas avec le puck”
Don’t fool around with the puck = Get with it, get started
“T’as les yeux dans la graisse de beans”
Your eyes are in bean grease = You look tired
“Mets-en”
Put some = You are so right, I totally agree
“Attache ta tuque avec d’la broche”
Do up your tuque with wire = Get ready, it’s going to be a ride
“Avoir de l’eau dans cave”
To have water in the basement = To have too short pants
“Y a l’air d’la chienne à Jacques”
He looks like Jacques dog = He really badly dressed
“Pelleter d’la boucane”
To shovel smoke = To dream the impossible dream
“T’as des croûtes à manger”
You have crust to eat = You need much more experience
“C’est un deux de pique”
He’s a two of spade = He’s incompetent
“Un Jos connaissant”
A Joe know it all = He thinks he knows everything
“Ne pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué”
Don’t sell the bear’s skin before having killed the bear = Don’t get ahead of yourself
“Tu ne peux avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre”
You can’t have the butter and the money for the butter = You can’t have your cake and eat it too / You just can’t have it all, make a choice
Hope you had fun with these!
Alain, I LOVED these expressions. I forwarded your post to a friend who also speaks French. Looking forward to using them.
These are fabulous. Many work well in English. Like a hay fence, he’s a two of spades, and hammering nails, for example.
Liked them very much. Reminded me of those in my language, Kannada and in Hindi.
These are great, thanks for the literal and figurative meanings. We need a few of them in English
Une amanchure de broche à foin en est une qui vient en tête souvent depuis que je suis déménagée ici 🙂
I adored reading all of these Quebecois expressions. I studied French for 10 years, but the focus was on France French, not Quebec French, which I learned has some differences both times I visited Quebec City. All of these were new to me. Thanks for teaching me today.
Idioms are so much fun! I love how some of them make sense and others are so strange that you know there must be a funny story about where they came from! (I got overwhelmed at the end of March and saved a bunch of posts to comment on later and have been working my way through them!) I forwarded this to my best friend’s dad who grew up in Quebec!