T.

Table

Tenir table ouverte = To keep open house.

Faire table rase = To make a clean sweep and begin again; To start everything afresh.

Jouer cartes sur table = To act frankly, above board.

Tâche

Prendre à tâche = To make it one’s business.

Travailler à la tâche = To work by the piece.

Taillable

Vilains taillables et corvéables à merci = Serfs taxable and workable at their lord’s will and pleasure.

Taille

Il est de taille à se défendre = He is big enough to defend himself.

“Ils nous ont fait une France à leur taille” (Béranger) = They have brought France down to their level.

Se tenant par la taille = With their arms round each other’s waists.

Frapper d’estoc et de taille = 1. To cut and thrust. 2. To hit right and left; To lay about one.

Talon

Il a l’esprit aux talons = He shines at the wrong end; He is not witty.

La bande se dispersa, les talons aux épaules = The gang took to their heels.

J’ai l’estomac dans les talons = I am very hungry.

Tambour

On l’a mené tambour battant = They led him with a high hand; They played the martinet with him.

Il sortirent tambour battant, mèche allumée = They went out with all the honours of war.

Tant

Tous tant que nous sommes = Every one of us.

Être tant à tant = To be even (in a game).

Si cela vous ennuie tant soit peu, ne le faites pas = If that is the least trouble, do not do it.

Elle n’est pas jolie, tant s’en faut = She is not pretty, far from it; She is anything but good-looking.

Vous m’en direz tant = That alters the case; Ah! now I understand. (See Dire.)

Est-ce qu’elle est belle?—Elle est comme il y en a tant = Is she beautiful?—Nothing to stare at; Nothing out of the common.

Vous l’avez fait tant bien que mal = You did it in a casual (off-hand) way.

Je l’ai fait tant bien que mal = I did it as well as I could, though I know it is not well done.

Si tant est que .... = If it be true that....

Tapis

Être sur le tapis = To be the subject of general conversation; To be broached.

Amuser le tapis (or, la galerie) = To amuse people by talking the time away.

Tapisserie

Faire tapisserie (fam.) = To be a wall-flower at a ball.

Tard

*Mieux vaut tard que jamais = Better late than never.

[This is first found in Dionysius of Halicarnassus (ix. 11): “It is better beginning late doing our duties than never.”]

Tarder

Il me tarde de parler = I am anxious to speak.

Il ne tardera pas à venir = It will not be long before he comes.

Tarte

C’est sa tarte à la crème = It is his one constant objection.

[Molière, École des Femmes, i. 1.]

Tel

*Tel maître, tel valet = Like master, like man; Like well, like bucket.

[“Selon le clerc est deu le maistre.”—Villon, Grand Testament, 568.]

*Telle vie, telle fin = Men die as they live.

Je vous le rends tel quel = I return it to you just as it was lent to me.

Je la prendrai telle quelle = I will take it just as it is.

Ce sont des gens tels quels (fam.) = They are “no great shakes,” just ordinary people, humdrum people.

Tel est pris qui croyait prendre = It is a case of the biter bit.

Monsieur un tel = Mr. So-and-so.

Temps

Il se donne du bon temps = He does not work too hard; He enjoys himself; He has a good time of it.

Il prend le temps comme il vient = He takes things easily.

Cela a fait son temps = That has had its day.

*Du temps que Berthe filait = When the world was young; When Adam delved and Eve span.

Si le temps le permet = Wind and weather permitting.

Le temps est à la pluie = It looks like rain.

Le temps perdu ne se répare (or, rattrape) pas = Time wasted is gone indeed.

*Qui a temps a vie = While there is life, there is hope; Dum spiro spero.

Par le temps qui court = Nowadays; As times go.

*Autres temps, autres mœurs = Manners change with the times.

Au temps! = As you were! (military command).

[This is sometimes incorrectly written “Autant,” but military movements were formerly divided into temps. When the drill-sergeant makes a mistake in giving the word of command, he says, “Au temps pour moi” = “My mistake, as you were!”]

Tendre

Il vaut mieux tendre la main que le cou = It is better to beg than to steal.

L’arc toujours tendu se gâte = All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[“Neque semper arcum tendit Apollo.”—Horace, Carm, II. x. 20.]

Tendresse

Tendresse maternelle Toujours se renouvelle. } = { A mother’s truth Keeps constant youth.

[Archbishop Trench quotes the French and German forms as rhyming equally well in both languages; the English, he confesses, is not such a good translation. The German is: Mutter treu’ Wird täglich neu.]

Tenir

Il ne tint à rien qu’ils ne se battissent = They were within an ace of fighting.

Quand on est bien, on ne s’y peut tenir = The love of change makes us give up even a comfortable position.

Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras = A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[Also: Un bon aujourd’hui vaut mieux que deux demain.]

Il tient de son père = He takes after his father.

Il tient à ce livre = He treasures that book.

Je ne tiens plus à rien = I no longer care for anything.

Il ne tiendra pas à moi qu’il ne réussisse = It will not be my fault if he does not succeed.

Je le tiens de bonne source = I have it on good authority.

Tenir le loup par les oreilles = To be in a critical situation, dilemma.

On le tient à quatre = It needs four men to hold him down.

Je me suis tenu à quatre pour ne pas lui dire ses vérités = It was almost more than I could do not to tell him what I thought of him.

Il n’y a pas d’amitié qui tienne = Friendship has nothing to do with the question; It must be done in spite of friendship.

Qu’à cela ne tienne = Do not let that be any objection; Never mind that.

Je n’y tiens pas = I am not particular about it; I am not keen on it.

Je n’y tiens plus = I cannot stand it any longer.

Je n’y ai pas tenu = I could not contain myself.

Je ne sais à quoi m’en tenir = I do not know what to believe.

Tenir comme teigne (pop.) = To stick like wax.

À quoi cela tient-il? = What is that owing to?

Il ne tient qu’à lui de commencer = It rests entirely with him to begin; He can begin when he likes.

Cela lui tient au cœur = He is anxious about it.

Il n’a pas cédé, il a tenu bon = He did not give away, he stuck to it.

Tenez-vous-le pour dit = Take it for granted; Bear that in mind.

Il en tient = 1. He is smitten. 2. He is caught.

Tenez-vous-en là = Stop there, go no further in the matter; Be satisfied with what you have already obtained.

Tiens! c’est vous? = Hullo! is that you?

Tiens, tiens! = Indeed, you don’t say so!

Terme

*Il y a terme à tout = There is an end to everything.

[A German proverb says: “Everything has an end—a sausage two.”]

*Qui a terme ne doit rien = No one is obliged to pay before a debt is due.

Le terme vaut l’argent = Time is money.

Ménagez un peu vos termes = Moderate your expressions a little; Be a little careful in what you say.

Terrain

En mathématiques il est sur son terrain = He is quite in his element at mathematics.

Tâter le terrain = To feel one’s way (fig.).

Terroir

Il sent le terroir = He is racy of the soil; He savours of his country.

Tête

Il a la tête près du bonnet = He is hasty, hot-headed.

*Ce sont deux têtes dans un bonnet = They are hand and glove together.

Cet homme y va tête baissée = That man rushes blindly into it; That man sets to work energetically.

C’est un homme de tête = He has a head on his shoulders; He is a man of resource.

Il s’est monté la tête = He got excited over fancied or exaggerated wrongs.

C’est une tête carrée = He is an obstinate fellow.

J’en ai par-dessus la tête = 1. I am sick and tired of it. 2. I am head over ears in it.

Je lui laverai la tête (pop.) = I will give it to him; I will give him a sound drubbing.

Il ne sait où donner de la tête = He does not know which way to turn.

[Donner here has the meaning of heurter, frapper de la tête.]

Donner de la tête contre le mur = To hit one’s head against a stone wall.

La tête me tourne = I feel giddy; my head swims.

Il a mauvaise tête = He is a wrong-headed fellow.

Il fait à sa tête = He will have his own way.

Cet homme a mauvaise tête et bon cœur = That man is quick-tempered, but kind-hearted.

Vous lui avez tenu tête = You did not give in to him.

Cet homme a de la tête = That man has his head screwed on the right way.

Tiers

Il ne faut pas dire vos affaires au tiers et au quart = You must not tell your business to all the world, to everybody.

Le tiers et le quart = Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Timbre

Il a le timbre fêlé (fam.) = He is cracked; He has a screw loose.

Tirer

Il se fera tirer l’oreille = He will require pressing.

Il tire le diable par la queue = He leads a struggling existence.

Vous ne me tirerez pas les vers du nez = You will not pump me (i.e. make me tell secrets).

Cet homme se tirerait d’un puits = That man would get out of any difficulty, is full of resource.

Je me ferais tirer à quatre avant de parler = Wild horses would not make me speak.

Il tire (touche) à sa fin = He is on his last legs.

Je saurai en tirer parti = I shall be able to turn it to account.

*Tirez le rideau, la farce est jouée = Ring down the curtain, the play is over.

[Words reported to have been said by Rabelais just before his death.]

Titre

On m’a donné cela à titre gratuit (or, gracieux) = They gave me that for nothing.

Cet or n’est pas au titre légal = This gold is not up to the standard.

À ce titre (compte) j’y perds = At that rate I am a loser.

Toit

Crier par-dessus les toits = To proclaim from the housetops.

Tomber

Je tombe d’accord avec vous sur ce point = I am at one with you on that head.

Je tombe des nues = I am astounded.

Cet homme-là est bien tombé = That man has fallen on his feet; That man has applied to the right person (or, ironic), to the wrong person.

L’enfant tombe par terre, mais le fruit tombe à terre = A child falls on the ground, while fruit falls to the earth.

[Par terre = from one’s own height; à terre = from any height.]

Tordre

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

Tort

Vous vous êtes mis dans votre tort = You put yourself in the wrong.

À tort ou à raison = Rightly or wrongly.

À tort et à travers = At random, thoughtlessly.

Tôt

*Le plus tôt sera le mieux = The sooner, the better.

Toucher

Elle a l’air de ne pas y toucher = She looks as if butter would not melt in her mouth; She is very sarcastic without appearing to mean anything. (Comp. Nitouche.)

C’est un touche-à-tout = He is a Jack of all trades; He meddles with everything.

Cela touche à la folie = That is but one remove from madness; That borders on lunacy.

Touchez-là = Here’s my hand on it.

Tour

Faire ses quinze (or, trente-six) tours = To do a hundred useless things.

*À chacun son tour = Every dog has his day; Now it is my turn.

Elle est faite au tour (or, moule) = She has a splendid figure.

Il fit cela en un tour de main = He did that in a moment.

Un tour de faveur = Permission to go (or, do anything) before one’s turn.

Trac

Avoir le trac (fam.) = To be funky.

Train

Mettre une affaire en train = To put a thing in hand.

Pas dans le train = Not up-to-date; Of an older school.

Il le mène bon train dans cette affaire = He drives him hard in that matter.

Il nous a menés bon train = He brought us along at a great rate.

Allez toujours votre train = Go on as usual.

Il est en train d’écrire = He is in the act of writing; He is just writing.

Je ne suis pas en train ce matin = I do not feel myself this morning.

Il est en train (pop.) = He is slightly intoxicated.

Faire du train (pop.) = To kick up a dust.

Il mène grand train = He lives like a lord.

À fond de train = At full speed.

Trait

Ce que vous dites n’a pas trait à la question = What you say has nothing to do with the question.

Ce sont là de vos traits = That is just like you.

Avaler d’un trait = To drink off at one gulp, at a draught.

Traite

Tout d’une traite = At a stretch, without stopping.

Traiter

Il m’a traité de fat = He called me a fop.

Il m’a traité en roi = He treated me like a lord.

Traître

Il n’a pas dit un traître mot = He never spoke a single word.

Tramontane

Perdre la tramontane = Not to know which way to turn; To lose one’s head.

[Literally, to lose one’s bearings. Tramontane is derived from the Italian tramontana, and originally meant the pole-star, which was the star seen from the Mediterranean across the mountains (the Alps). Compare s’orienter. See Boule.]

Trancher

Cet homme n’est pas très honnête, tranchons le mot, c’est un coquin = That man is not very honourable, in plain English, he is a rascal. (See Mot.)

Trancher la question, la difficulté = To cut the Gordian knot; To solve the difficulty.

Trancher du grand seigneur = To try and play the lord.

Trancher dans le vif = (lit.) To cut to the quick; (fig.) To set to work in earnest.

Travers

Il a l’esprit de travers = He has an awkward temper; He does not see things as they are; He is cross-grained.

Il me regarda de travers = He looked black (askance) at me.

Il prend tout de travers = He takes everything amiss.

Tréfonds

J’en sais le fonds et le tréfonds = I know the ins and outs of it, the long and the short of it.

[Also: Je connais les tenants et aboutissants de l’affaire.]

Tremper

Nous fûmes trempés jusqu’aux os = We were wet to the skin.

Trente

Être sur son trente-et-un (fam.) = To be dressed up to the nines.

Tricherie

*Tricherie revient à son maître = Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.

Trier

Les soldats de la Garde étaient tous triés sur le volet = The soldiers of the Guard were all picked men.

[Volet is a gardener’s board on which he sorts seeds.]

Triste

C’est un triste sire = He is a despicable, dishonourable fellow.

Tromper

Il n’y a pas à s’y tromper = There is no mistake about it.

Trop

Je ne sais trop = I don’t exactly know.

*Qui dit trop ne dit rien = He who wants to prove too much proves nothing.

Trou

Faire un trou à la lune (fam.) = To shoot the moon; To fly from one’s creditors.

Troubler

C’est un trouble-fête = He is a mar-joy, a wet blanket.

Trousse

Le voleur fuyait, mais nous étions à ses trousses = The thief made off, but we were at his heels.

Trouver

Cela se trouve bien = That is lucky.

Tu

Être à tu et à toi = To be on very familiar terms with.

Tuer

Crier à tue-tête = To shout at the top of one’s voice.