French Idioms

Slept almost twelve hours last night. I definitely needed it.

Today made me feel as if I'm finally getting a semblance of a routine here. Being a big fan of order and routine, I would say it is really nice.

Karinne, Annie, and I went on a jog at the park. It started raining, and upon returning to the apartment, Karinne's pants were soaked through to her knees. As I was running with her, all I could hear was the slapping of her sopping pant legs against the dirt and concrete. We came back soaked, but accomplished, as Karinne's ipod running chip informed us that the jog is about 6.7 kilometers. Not bad. We're going again tomorrow.

French class today was fun. We reviewed comparative and superlative phrases, and I learned some French idioms that I thought would be fun to share. The equivalent of "blind as a bat" in English. Here they are:

Elle est belle comme le jour.
She is beautiful like the day.

Il est blanc comme un linge.
He is white (innocent) like the wash (clothes).

Il est beau comme un Dieu.
He is handsome like a God (referring to Greek and Roman statues of their gods).

Il est bon comme le pain.
He is good like bread (referencing the Bible [bread at the last supper] and the French love of baguette).

Il est connu comme le loup blanc.
He is known like a white sheep (which are rare, so this is inferring that he is not well-known).

Il est forte comme un Turc.
He is strong like a Turk (possibly referring to the immense empire gained by the Ottomans?)

Il est heureux comme un poisson dans l'eau.
He is happy like a fish in water.

Il est malin comme un singe.
He is crafty like a monkey.

Il est ruse comme un renard.
He is clever like a fox.

Il est malade comme un chien.
He is sick like a dog.

Elle est jolie comme un coeur.
She is pretty like a heart.

Elle est aimable comme une porte de prison.
She is nice like a prison door. (maybe referring to the hope of release a door offers?)

I thought it was interesting that some are really similar to English, and some not as much. My favorite is the bread one, and I think I'm going to try and incorporate it into my everyday speech!

Annie and I made "pain du dinde" or "breaded turkey" for dinner. Very different, especially as it was flavored with nutmeg. I've really only had turkey for Thanksgiving or on a sandwich, so if you're ever feeling French-- look it up.