R.

Rabais

Vente au rabais = Sale at reduced prices; “Selling off.”

Rabattre

Rabattre le caquet à quelqu’un (pop.) = To take a person down a peg; To stop his jaw; To cut his cackle.

Radis

Il n’a pas un radis (fam.) = He has not a brass farthing. (See Liard.)

Raillerie

Cela passe la raillerie = That is beyond a joke. (See Entendre.)

Raison

Il n’entend pas raison là-dessus = He will not listen to reason on that point.

Se faire raison à soi-même = To take the law into one’s own hands.

Comme de raison = Rightly enough; As might be expected.

Plus que de raison = More than is reasonable.

Raison de plus = All the more reason.

Avoir des raisons avec quelqu’un = To have words with any one; To quarrel with any one.

Il faut se faire une raison = We must be guided by reason; We must look at things from a reasonable point of view.

[E.g. not go on worrying after a great loss.]

Donner raison à quelqu’un = To say any one is right; To give satisfaction to any one (either legally or by a duel).

Rancart

On l’a mis au rancart = He has been put on the shelf.

[Also: Il est sous la remise.]

Rang

*Tel qui brille au second rang s’éclipse au premier = A good subordinate often makes a bad leader.

Ranger

Il s’est rangé = He has settled down (after sowing his wild oats).

Rare

Vous devenez bien rare = You are quite a stranger.

Raseur

C’est un raseur (fam.) = He is a bore.

[Une bassinoire = a passive bore.]

Rat

Il est gueux comme un rat d’église = He is as poor as a church mouse.

Rate

Il ne se foule pas la rate (pop.) = He does not overwork himself; He takes things easily.

[Also: Il ne se foule pas le poignet.]

Cela lui désopilera la rate = That will cheer him up.

Râtelier

Il mange à plus d’un râtelier = He has more than one string to his bow; He gains money from different sources.

Rattraper

*Bien fin qui me rattrapera = Once bit, twice shy; They won’t catch me doing that again.

Rebours

Il prend les choses à rebours = He misconstrues everything.

Rebrousse

À rebrousse poil = Against the grain; (To rub) the wrong way.

Reconnaître

Je vous reconnais bien là = That is just like you.

Je ne m’y reconnais plus = I don’t know where I am, what I am about; I am quite at sea.

Reculer

Il a reculé pour mieux sauter = 1. He waited for something better. 2. (ironic.) He avoided a small evil to fall into a greater.

[Compare: Mieux reculer que mal assaillir.]

Marcher à reculons = To walk backwards.

Redire

Il trouve toujours à redire = He is always finding fault.

Il n’y a rien à redire à cela = There is no fault to be found with that; That is quite all right.

Réflexion

Réflexion faite = After due reflection; On second thoughts.

Refrain

C’est le refrain de la ballade = It is the old story over again.

[“C’est toujours le refrain qu’ils font à leur ballade.”—Régnier, Sat. i.]

Refus

Cela n’est pas de refus (fam.) = That is very acceptable; I won’t say no to that.

Refuser

*Qui refuse muse = “He who will not when he may, When he will he shall have nay.”

Regarder

N’y regardez pas de si près = Do not be so particular.

Cela ne me regarde pas = That is not my business; That does not concern me.

J’y regarderai à deux fois = I shall think twice before doing it.

Régler

Il est réglé comme un papier de musique = He is as regular as clockwork.

Rein

Nous poursuivîmes l’ennemi l’épée dans les reins = We followed the enemy close at his heels.

Il s’est donné un tour de reins = He sprained his back.

Il a les reins solides = (lit.) He is strong; (fig.) He has a long purse.

Réjouir

C’est un gros réjoui = He is a big jolly fellow.

Remède

*À chose faite point de remède = What is done cannot be undone.

[“Factum est illud: fieri infectum non potest.”—Plautus.]

Remontrer

Gros Jean qui en remontre à son curé = Hodge tries to teach the Parson how to preach; He teaches his grandmother to suck eggs.

Remporter

Il a remporté la victoire = He carried the day.

Renard

*Renard qui dort la matinée N’a pas la gueule emplumée = ’Tis the early bird that catches the worm.

Renchérir

Il renchérit sur tout ce qu’il entend dire = He caps every story he hears told.

Rencontrer

Les beaux esprits se rencontrent = Great wits jump together.

[When two persons happen to say the same thing at the same time.]

Renfort

Pour renfort de potage = Into the bargain; In addition.

[Molière, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, iii. 3.]

Rengaine

C’est toujours la même rengaine (fam.) = It is always the same old story.

Renommée

*Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée = A good name is better than riches. (See Ceinture.)

Répandre

C’est un homme très répandu = He is a man who goes into society a great deal.

Repentir

*Le repentir vient ordinairement trop tard = Do a thing in haste and repent at leisure.

Répondre

Je vous en réponds! = I will be bound it is; I should think so, indeed! You take my word for it.

Reprise

J’ai appelé mon domestique à plusieurs reprises = I called my servant several times.

Reprocher

Il me reproche les morceaux = He grudges me the very food I eat.

Résoudre

Je ne puis m’y résoudre = I cannot make up my mind to do it.

Ressort

Ce n’est pas de mon ressort = That is not within my province, “not in my line.”

Il a fait jouer tous les ressorts = He used all the means in his power.

Ce tribunal juge en dernier ressort = This court tries without appeal; There is no appeal from the findings of this court.

Reste

Je ne veux pas être en reste avec vous = I do not want to do less for you than you have done for me.

J’en ai de reste = I have more than enough.

Il n’a pas demandé son reste! = He soon took himself off, I can tell you! He soon shut up, I can tell you!

Retour

Il est perdu sans retour = He is past all hope.

Il demeure à l’étranger sans esprit de retour = He is living abroad without thinking of returning.

Il me paie de retour = He loves (or, hates) me as much as I love (or hate) him.

[E.g. “Vous dites que vous aimez votre mère, mais elle vous paie bien de retour.”]

Retourner

Je sais de quoi il retourne = I know how matters stand.

Retraite

Battre la retraite = To beat tattoo (or, the retreat.)

Battre en retraite = To retreat.

Retrouver

Je le retrouverai bien = He will not escape me.

Revendre

Avoir d’une chose à revendre = To have more than enough of a thing.

Revenir

*Revenons à nos moutons = But to return to our subject. (See Mouton.)

Vous en revenez toujours là = You are always harping on that string.

Je n’en reviens pas = I cannot get over it (astonishment).

[Or, pop., “j’en suis baba.”]

N’y revenez pas = (lit.) Do not come here again; (fig.) Do not do that again.

Cela revient à dire = That amounts to saying.

Cela revient au même = That is just the same thing.

Je reviens de loin = (lit.) I come from a long distance; (fig.) I am recovering from a long illness.

Son nom ne me revient pas = I do not recollect his name.

Sa figure me revient = I like his face.

Je suis bien revenu sur le compte de votre frère = I have lost all the illusions I had of your brother.

Rêver

Cet homme rêve tout éveillé = That man dreams with his eyes open.

Revers

*Toute médaille a son revers = There is a dark side to every picture.

Revoir

À revoir = To be revised.

Au revoir! = Till we meet again.

Richesse

La richesse rend honnête = Rich men have no faults.

[The bishop’s pun may be repeated: “Get on, get honour, get honest.”

“Quand on est couronnée, on a toujours le nez bien fait.”—Perrault, Les Souhaits ridicules.]

Rien

“Dans le siècle où nous sommes, On ne donne rien pour rien” = At the present day people give nothing for nothing, and precious little for sixpence.

[Molière, École des Femmes, iii. 2. Rien here shows its derivation from rem (a thing). It was not always used with ne.]

Ne faites semblant de rien = Look as if nothing were the matter.

Comme si de rien n’était = As if nothing were the matter.

*Qui ne risque rien n’a rien = Nothing venture, nothing win.

[“Qui ne s’aventure perd cheval et mule.”]

*Qui ne demande rien n’a rien = Lose nothing for want of asking; If you do not ask, you will not get.

Il ne sait rien de rien = 1. He knows absolutely nothing. 2. He is quite in the dark.

En un rien de temps = In a trice.

En moins de rien = In less than no time.

Pas plus gros que rien = Next to nothing.

Il n’est rien moins que courageux = He is anything but courageous.

Pour rien au monde = Not for the life of me.

Rincer

Se rincer la dalle (pop.) = To wet one’s whistle.

Rire

*Rira bien qui rira le dernier = They have most to laugh at who laugh last; Let them laugh that win.

*Tel qui rit vendredi dimanche pleurera = Sorrow treads on the heels of mirth; Laugh to-day and cry to-morrow.

*Marchand qui perd ne peut rire = Let those laugh who win.

Il a toujours le mot pour rire = He is ever ready with a joke; He is full of fun.

Il m’a ri au nez = He laughed in my face.

Rire aux éclats = To roar with laughter.

Je me tordais de rire (fam.) = I was splitting my sides with laughter.

Il riait à gorge déployée = He was roaring with laughter.

Rire dans sa barbe (or, sous cape) = To laugh in one’s sleeve. (See Cape.)

Rire du bout des dents = To force a laugh.

Rire jaune = To laugh on the wrong side of one’s mouth.

Rire aux anges = 1. To laugh immoderately; 2. To laugh to oneself.

C’est un pince-sans-rire = He is a dry joker.

Risée

Il est la risée de tout le monde = He is the laughing-stock of every one.

Roche

C’est un homme de la vieille roche = He belongs to the good old stock; He is a man of the old school.

Clair comme de l’eau de roche = As clear as crystal.

Roi

C’est la cour du roi Pétaud = This is bedlam let loose; Dover Court—all speakers, no hearers.

[Le roi Pétaud (Lat. peto = I ask) was the chief that beggars used to choose for themselves. As he had no more authority than his subjects, the name is given to a house where every one is master. Comp. Molière, Tartufe, i. 1.— “On n’y respecte rien, chacun y parle haut, Et c’est tout justement la cour du roi Pétaud.” A variant is: “C’est une vraie pétaudière.”]

Le roi n’est pas son cousin = He is very haughty (so that he would not acknowledge the king as his cousin).

Rompre

Applaudir un acteur à tout rompre = To applaud an actor so as to bring the house down (to lift the roof).

Rondement

Il y va rondement = He acts frankly and quickly.

Il mènera cette affaire rondement = He will not dally about that matter.

Rose

Il n’est point de rose sans épines = Every rose has its thorn; No rose without a thorn.

Rôti

Il ne faut pas s’endormir sur le rôti = We must keep our wits about us; We must not neglect our work; We must not be too slow over it; We must not rest on our laurels.

[Literally, to go to sleep whilst cooking the meat.]

Roue

Il fait la roue = He shows off.

Rouge

Se fâcher tout rouge = To get into a passion.

Voir rouge = To be seized with a sudden thirst for blood.

Roulette

Cela marche comme sur des roulettes = That is getting on swimmingly.

Royaliste

Être plus royaliste que le roi (plus catholique que le pape) = To out-Herod Herod.

Royauté

“La royauté, place noyée de lumière où toute tache paraît une fange sordide” = “In that fierce light which beats upon a throne And blackens every blot.” [Tennyson, Idylls of the King, Dedication.]

Rubis

Faire (or, payer) rubis sur l’ongle = To pay to the last farthing.

[This expression means literally to drain a tumbler so completely that there just remains in it one drop of wine, which being put on the nail looks like a ruby. “Je sirote mon vin, quel qu’il soit, vieux, nouveau; Je fais rubis sur l’ongle, et n’y mets jamais d’eau.” Regnard, Folies Amoureuses, iii. 4.]

Ruisseau

*Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières = Many a little makes a mickle.