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| A bas—Down! down with! | 1 |
| A bis et à blanc—By fits and starts. | 2 |
| A bon droit—Justly; according to reason. | 3 |
| A bon marché—Cheap. | 4 |
| A bras ouverts—With open arms. | 5 |
| A cœur ouvert—With open heart; with candour. | 6 |
| A compte—In part payment (lit. on account). | 7 |
| A contre cœur—Against the grain. | 8 |
| A corps perdu—With might and main. | 9 |
| A couvert—Under cover. | 10 |
| A discrétion—Without any restriction (lit. at discretion). | 11 |
| A droit—To the right. | 12 |
| A gauche—To the left. | 13 |
| A gorge déployée—With full throat. | 14 |
| A grands frais—At great expense. | 15 |
| A haute voix—Loudly; audibly. | 16 |
| A l’abandon—At random; little cared for. | 17 |
| A l’abri—Under shelter. | 18 |
| A l’improviste—Unawares. | 19 |
| A la belle étoile—In the open air. | 20 |
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| A la bonne heure—Well-timed; very well. | 21 |
| A la déobée—By stealth. | 22 |
| A la française—In the French fashion. | 23 |
| A la lettre—Literally. | 24 |
| A la mode—According to the fashion. | 25 |
| A la portée de tout le monde—Within reach of every one. | 26 |
| A loisir—At leisure. | 27 |
| A main armée—By force of arms. | 28 |
| A menteur, menteur à demi—To a liar, a liar and a half, i.e., one be a match for him. | 29 |
| A merveille—To a wonder. | 30 |
| A perte de vue—Beyond the range of vision. | 31 |
| A plomb—Perpendicularly; firmly. | 32 |
| A point—To a point exactly. | 33 |
| A propos de bottes—By-the-bye. | 34 |
| A propos—To the point; seasonably; in due time. | 35 |
| A quatre épingles—With four pins, i.e., done up like a dandy. | 36 |
| A rebours—Reversed. | 37 |
| A reculons—Backwards. | 38 |
| A rez de chaussée—Even with the ground. | 39 |
| A tâtons—Groping. | 40 |
| A tort et à travers—Without consideration; at random. | 41 |
| A toute force—With all one’s force. | 42 |
| A volonté—At will. | 43 |
| A votre santé—To your health. | 44 |
| Abrégé—Abridgment. | 45 |
| Adieu, paniers! vendanges sont faites—Farewell, baskets! vintage is over. | 46 |
| Affaire d’amour—A love affair. | 47 |
| Affaire d’honneur—An affair of honour; a duel. | 48 |
| Affaire du cœur—An affair of the heart. | 49 |
| Agent de change—A stockbroker. | 50 |
| Agiotage—Stockbroking. | 51 |
| Aide-toi, et le ciel l’aidera—Help yourself and Heaven will help you. | 52 |
| Air de fête—Looking festive. | 53 |
| Air distingué—Distinguished looking. | 54 |
| Ame damnée—Mere tool, underling. | 55 |
| Ame de boue—Base, mean soul. | 56 |
| Amende honorable—Satisfactory apology; reparation. | 57 |
| Amour propre—Vanity; self-love. | 58 |
| Aperçu—A sketch. | 59 |
| Argent comptant—Ready money. | 60 |
| Armes blanches—Side arms. | 61 |
| Arrière pensée—A mental reservation. | 62 |
| Au bon droit—By good right. | 63 |
| Au bout de son Latin—At his wit’s end (lit. at the end of his Latin). | 64 |
| Au bout du compte—After the close of the account; after all. | 65 |
| Au courant—Perfectly acquainted with. | 66 |
| Au désespoir—In despair. | 67 |
| Au fait—Expert; skilful. | 68 |
| Au fond—To the bottom. | 69 |
| Au pis aller—At the worst. | 70 |
| Au reste—For the rest. | 71 |
| Au revoir—Farewell, till we meet again. | 72 |
| Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait—No sooner said than done. | 73 |
| Autrefois acquis—Acquitted before. | 74 |
| Aux armes—To arms. | 75 |
| Avaler des couleuvres—To put up with abuse (lit. swallow snakes). | 76 |
| Avancez—Advance. | 77 |
| Avant propos—Prefatory matter. | 78 |
| Avise la fin—Consider the end. | 79 |
| Bête noir—An eyesore; a bugbear (lit. a black beast). | 80 |
| Bal abonné—A subscription ball. | 81 |
| Bal champêtre—A country ball. | 82 |
| Ballon d’essai—A balloon sent up to ascertain the direction of the wind; any test of public feeling. | 83 |
| Barbouillage—Scribbling. | 84 |
| Bas bleu—A blue-stocking. | 85 |
| Beau idéal—Ideal excellence, or one’s conception of perfection in anything. | 86 |
| Beau monde—The fashionable world. | 87 |
| Beaux esprits—Men of wit. | 88 |
| Bel esprit—A person of genius; a brilliant mind. | 89 |
| Bien perdu bien connu—We know the worth of a thing when we have lost it. | 90 |
| Billet-doux—A love-letter. | 91 |
| Blanc-bec—A greenhorn. | 92 |
| Bon bourgeois—A substantial citizen. | 93 |
| Bon diable—A good-natured fellow. | 94 |
| Bon gré, mal gré—Whether willing or not. | 95 |
| Bon jour—Good day. | 96 |
| Bon mot—A witticism or jest. | 97 |
| Bon naturel—Good nature or disposition. | 98 |
| Bon poète, mauvais homme—Good as a poet, bad as a man. | 99 |
| Bon soir—Good evening. | 100 |
| Bon ton—The height of fashion. | 101 |
| Bon vivant—A good liver. | 102 |
| Bon voyage—A pleasant journey or voyage. | 103 |
| Bonhomie—Good nature. | 104 |
| Bonne bouche—A delicate morsel. | 105 |
| Bonne—A nurse. | 106 |
| Bonnet rouge—The cap of liberty. | 107 |
| Boutez en avant—Push forward. | 108 |
| Brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts—To burn the candle at both ends. | 109 |
| Brevet d’invention—A patent. | 110 |
| Breveté—Patented. | 111 |
| Bric-à-brac—Articles of vertu or curiosity. | 112 |
| Briller par son absence—To be conspicuous by its absence. | 113 |
| C’est fait de lui—It is all over with him. | 114 |
| C’est là le diable—There’s the devil of it, i.e., there lies the difficulty. | 115 |
| C’est la prospérité qui donne des amis, c’est l’adversité qui les éprouve—It is prosperity that gives us friends, adversity that proves them. | 116 |
| C’est le geai paré des plumes du paon—He is the jay decked with the peacock’s feathers. | 117 |
| C’est son cheval de bataille—That is his forte (lit. war-horse). | 118 |
| C’est un zéro en chiffres—He is a mere cipher. | 119 |
| C’est une autre chose—That’s another matter. | 120 |
| C’est-à-dire—That is to say. | 121 |
| Cahier des charges—Conditions of a contract. | 122 |
| Caisse d’amortissement—Sinking fund. | 123 |
| Canaille—The rabble. | 124 |
| Cap-à-pié—From head foot. | 125 |
| Car il n’est si beau jour qui n’amène sa nuit—There is no day, however glorious, but sets in night. | 126 |
| Catalogue raisonné—A catalogue topically arranged. | 127 |
| Cause célèbre—A celebrated trial or action at law. | 128 |
| Ce n’est pas être bien aisé que de rire—Laughing is not always an index of a mind at ease. | 129 |
| Ce n’est que le premier pas qui coûte—It is only the first step that is difficult (lit. costs). | 130 |
| Ce qu’on fait maintenant, on le dit; et la cause en est bien excusable: on fait si peu de chose—Whatever we do now-a-days, we speak of; and the reason is this: it is so very little we do. | 131 |
| Cela m’échauffe la bile—That stirs up my bile. | 132 |
| Cela n’est pas de mon ressort—That is not in my department, or line of things. | 133 |
| Cela va sans dire—That is a matter of course. | 134 |
| Cela viendra—That will come some day. | 135 |
| Celui qui veut, celui-là peut—The man who wills is the man who can. | 136 |
| Cet animal est très méchant: / Quand on l’attaque, il se défend—That animal is very vicious; it defends itself if you attack it. | 137 |
| Châteaux en Espagne. Castles in the air (lit. castles in Spain). | 138 |
| Chacun à son goût—Every one to his taste. | 139 |
| Chacun porte sa croix—Every one bears his cross. | 140 |
| Chansons-à-boire—Drinking-songs. | 141 |
| Chapeau bas—Hats off. | 142 |
| Chapelle ardente—Place where a dead body lies in state. | 143 |
| Char-à-bancs—A pleasure car. | 144 |
| Chargé d’affaires—A subordinate diplomatist. | 145 |
| Chasse cousin—Bad wine, i.e., such as was given to poor relations to drive them off. | 146 |
| Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop—Drive out Nature, she is back on you in a trice. From Horace. | 147 |
| Chef de cuisine—A head-cook. | 148 |
| Chef-d’œuvre—A masterpiece. | 149 |
| Chemin de fer—The iron way, the railway. | 150 |
| Chercher à connaître, c’est chercher à douter—To seek to know is to seek occasion to doubt. | 151 |
| Chevalier d’industrie—One who lives by persevering fraud (lit. a knight of industry). | 152 |
| Chevaux de frise—A defence of spikes against cavalry. | 153 |
| Ci-devant—Former. | 154 |
| Ci-gît—Here lies. | 155 |
| Claqueur—One hired to applaud. | 156 |
| Coûte qu’il coûte—Let it cost what it may. | 157 |
| Comme il faut—As it should be. | 158 |
| Compte rendu—Report, return. | 159 |
| Concours—A competition. | 160 |
| Confrère—A brother monk or associate. | 161 |
| Congé d’élire—A leave to elect. | 162 |
| Contre-temps—A mischance. | 163 |
| Cordon bleu—A skilful cook (lit. a blue ribbon). | 164 |
| Cordon sanitaire—A guard to prevent a disease spreading. | 165 |
| Corps d’armée—A military force. | 166 |
| Corps diplomatique—The diplomatic body. | 167 |
| Corvées—Forced labour, formerly exacted of the peasantry in France. | 168 |
| Couleur de rose—A flattering representation. | 169 |
| Coup d’état—A sudden stroke of policy. | 170 |
| Coup d’essai—First attempt. | 171 |
| Coup de grace—The finishing stroke. | 172 |
| Coup de pied—A kick. | 173 |
| Coup de soleil—Stroke of the sun. | 174 |
| Coup de théâtre—Theatrical effect. | 175 |
| Courage sans peur—Courage without fear. | 176 |
| Craignez tout d’un auteur en courroux—Fear the worst from an enraged author. | 177 |
| Cul de sac—A street, a lane or passage, that has no outlet. | 178 |
| D’accord—Agreed; in tune. | 179 |
| Dégagé—Free and unrestrained. | 180 |
| Déjeûner à la fourchette—A meat breakfast. | 181 |
| Dans l’art d’intéresser consiste l’art d’écrire—The art of writing consists in the art of interesting. | 182 |
| Dans le nombre de quarante ne fait-il pas un zéro?—In the number forty is there not bound to be a cipher? | 183 |
| Dans les conseils d’un état, il ne faut pas tant regarder ce qu’on doit faire, que ce qu’on peut faire—In the councils of a state, the question is not so much what ought to be done, as what can be done. | 184 |
| De bonne grace—With good grace; willingly. | 185 |
| De bonne lutte—By fair means. | 186 |
| De court plaisir, long repentir—A short pleasure, a long penance. | 187 |
| De gaieté de cœur—In gaiety of heart; sportively; wantonly. | 188 |
| De haute lutte—By main force. | 189 |
| De mal en pis—From bad to worse. | 190 |
| De pis en pis—From worse to worse. | 191 |
| De trop—Too much, or too many; out of place. | 192 |
| De vive voix—Verbally. | 193 |
| Dernier ressort—A last resource. | 194 |
| Detour—A circuitous march. | 195 |
| Deux hommes se rencontrent bien, mail jamais deux montagnes—Two men may meet, but never two mountains. | 196 |
| Deux yeux voient plus clair qu’un—A ghost was never seen by two pair of eyes (lit. two eyes see more clearly than one). | 197 |
| Diseur de bons mots—A sayer of good things; a would-be wit. | 198 |
| Diseuse de bonne aventure—A mere fortune-teller. | 199 |
| Distingué—Distinguished; eminent; gentlemanlike. | 200 |
| Distrait—Absent in mind. | 201 |
| Don de plaire—The gift of pleasing. | 202 |
| Donner de si mauvaise grâce qu’on n’a pas d’obligation—To give so ungraciously as to do away with any obligation. | 203 |
| Dos d’âne—Saddleback (lit. ass’s back). | 204 |
| Double entendre—A double meaning. | 205 |
| Double entente—Double signification. | 206 |
| Douceur—A bribe. | 207 |
| Doux yeux—Tender glances. | 208 |
| Droit des gens—Law of nations. | 209 |
| Droit et avant—Right and forward. | 210 |
| Droit et loyal—Right and loyal. | 211 |
| Du fort au faible—On an average (lit. from the strong to the weak). | 212 |
| Eau bénite de cour—False promises (lit. holy water of the court). | 213 |
| Eau sucrée—Sugared water. | 214 |
| Eclaircissement—The clearing up of a thing. | 215 |
| Eclat de rire—A burst of laughter. | 216 |
| Ecorcher l’anguille par la queue—To begin at the wrong end (lit. to skin an eel from the tail). | 217 |
| Edition de luxe—A splendid and expensive edition of a book. | 218 |
| Embonpoint—Plumpness or fulness of body. | 219 |
| Empressement—Ardour; warmth. | 220 |
| En échelon—Like steps. | 221 |
| En émoi—In a flutter or ferment. | 222 |
| En ami—As a friend. | 223 |
| En arriére—In the rear. | 224 |
| En attendant—In the meantime. | 225 |
| En avant—Forward; on. | 226 |
| En badinant—In jest. | 227 |
| En beau—In a favourable light. | 228 |
| En bloc—In a lump. | 229 |
| En bon train—In a fair way. | 230 |
| En buste—Half-length. | 231 |
| En déshabille—In an undress. | 232 |
| En dernier ressort—As a last resource. | 233 |
| En effet—In fact; substantially. | 234 |
| En famille—In a domestic state. | 235 |
| En foule—In a crowd. | 236 |
| En grace affié—On grace depend. | 237 |
| En grande tenue—In full dress. | 238 |
| En habiles gens—Like able men. | 239 |
| En masse—In a body. | 240 |
| En mauvaise odeur—In bad repute. | 241 |
| En papillote.—In curl-papers. | 242 |
| En parole je vis—I live by the word. | 243 |
| En passant—By the way. | 244 |
| En pension—Board at a pension. | 245 |
| En peu d’heure Dieu labeure—God works in moments, i.e., His work is soon done. | 246 |
| En plein jour—In open day. | 247 |
| En potence—In the form of a gallows. | 248 |
| En présence—In sight of each other. | 249 |
| En règle—According to rules. | 250 |
| En rapport—In relation; in connection. | 251 |
| En resumé—Upon the whole. | 252 |
| En revanche—In revenge; to return; to make amends. | 253 |
| En route—On the way. | 254 |
| En suite—In company. | 255 |
| En suivant la vérité—In following the truth. | 256 |
| En toute chose il faut considérer la fin—In everything we must consider the end. | 257 |
| Enfant trouvé—A foundling. | 258 |
| Enfants de famille—Children of the family. | 259 |
| Enfants perdus—The forlorn hope (lit. lost children). | 260 |
| Enfants terribles—Dreadful children; precocious youths who say and do rash things to the annoyance of their more conservative seniors. | 261 |
| Entente cordiale—A good or cordial understanding. | 262 |
| Entourage—Surroundings. | 263 |
| Entre chien et loup—In the dusk (lit. between dog and wolf). | 264 |
| Entre deux vins—To be half-seas over; to be mellow. | 265 |
| Entre nous—Between ourselves. | 266 |
| Espionage—The spy system. | 267 |
| Esprit borné—Narrow mind. | 268 |
| Esprit de corps—Spirit of brotherhood in a corporate body. | 269 |
| Esprit de parti—Party spirit. | 270 |
| Esprit fort—A free-thinker. | 271 |
| Esprit juste—Sound mind. | 272 |
| Esprit vif—Ready wit. | 273 |
| Etre sur le qui vive—To be on the alert. | 274 |
| Etre sur un grand pied dans le monde—To be in high standing (lit. on a great foot) in the world. | 275 |
| Fête champêtre—A rural feast. | 276 |
| Fêtes des mœurs—Feasts of morals. | 277 |
| Façon de parler—A manner of speaking. | 278 |
| Fainéant—Do nothing. | 279 |
| Faire bonne mine à mauvaise jeu—To put a good face on the matter. | 280 |
| Faire le chien couchant—To play the spaniel; to cringe. | 281 |
| Faire le diable à quatre—To play the devil or deuce. | 282 |
| Faire le pendant—To be the fellow. | 283 |
| Faire mon devoir—To do my duty. | 284 |
| Faire patte de velours—To coax (lit. make a velvet paw). | 285 |
| Faire sans dire—To act without talking. | 286 |
| Fait accompli—A thing already done. | 287 |
| Fanfaronnade—Boasting. | 288 |
| Faux pas—A false step. | 289 |
| Femme de chambre—A chambermaid. | 290 |
| Femme de charge—A housekeeper. | 291 |
| Ferme modèle—A model farm. | 292 |
| Feu de joie—Firing of guns in token of joy. | 293 |
| Fille de chambre—A chambermaid. | 294 |
| Fille de joie—A woman of pleasure; a prostitute. | 295 |
| Fin contre fin—Diamond cut diamond. | 296 |
| Fin de siècle—Up to date. | 297 |
| Fleur d’eau—Level with the water. | 298 |
| Fleur de terre—Level with the land. | 299 |
| Fleurs-de-lis—Lilies. | 300 |
| Fond gaillard—A basis of joy or gaiety. | 301 |
| Gaieté de cœur—Gaiety of heart. | 302 |
| Garçon—A boy; a waiter. | 303 |
| Garde à cheval—Horse-guards; mounted guard. | 304 |
| Garde à pied—Foot-guards. | 305 |
| Garde à vous—Attention. | 306 |
| Garde du corps—A bodyguard. | 307 |
| Garde-chasse—Gamekeeper. | 308 |
| Garde-feu—A fire-guard. | 309 |
| Garde-fou—A hand-rail. | 310 |
| Gardez bien—Take care. | 311 |
| Gardez—Keep it. | 312 |
| Gens d’église—Churchmen. | 313 |
| Gens d’armes—Armed police. | 314 |
| Gens de bureau—Officials in a government office. | 315 |
| Gens de condition—People of rank. | 316 |
| Gens de guerre—Soldiers. | 317 |
| Gens de langues—Linguists. | 318 |
| Gens de lettres—Literary people. | 319 |
| Gens de lois—lawyers. | 320 |
| Gens de même famille—Birds of a feather. | 321 |
| Gens de peu—The lower classes. | 322 |
| Gibier de potence—A gallows-bird. | 323 |
| Gobe-mouches—A fly-catcher; one easily gulled. | 324 |
| Goutte à goutte—Drop by drop. | 325 |
| Grand bien ne vient pas en peu d’heures—Great wealth is not gotten in a few hours. | 326 |
| Grande parure—Full dress. | 327 |
| Guerre à mort—War to the death. | 328 |
| Guerre à outrance—War of extermination; war to the uttermost. | 329 |
| Guerre aux châteaux, paix aux chaumières!—War to the castles, peace to the cottages! | 330 |
| Hâtez-vous lentement, et sans perdre courage—Leisurely, and don’t lose heart. | 331 |
| Hôtel de ville—A town-hall. | 332 |
| Hôtel Dieu—The house of God; the name of an hospital. | 333 |
| Haut goût—High flavour. | 334 |
| Homme assailli à demi vaincu—A man assailed is half overpowered. | 335 |
| Homme d’état—A statesman. | 336 |
| Homme d’affaires—A business man. | 337 |
| Homme d’esprit—A witty man. | 338 |
| Homme d’honneur—A man of honour. | 339 |
| Homme instruit—A learned or literary man. | 340 |
| Honnêtes gens—Upright people. | 341 |
| Hors de combat—Out of condition to fight. | 342 |
| Hors de propos—Not to the purpose. | 343 |
| Hospice d’accouchement—A maternity hospital. | 344 |
| Hospice d’allaitement—A foundling hospital. | 345 |
| Il n’a ni bouche ni éperon—He has neither wit nor go in him (lit. he has neither mouth nor spur). | 346 |
| Il n’avait pas précisément des vices, mais il était rongé d’une vermine de petits défauts, dont on ne pouvait l’épurer—He had not vices exactly, but he was the prey to a swarm of small faults of which there was no ridding him. | 347 |
| Il ne fait rien, et nuit à qui veut faire—He produces nothing, and hinders those who would. | 348 |
| Il sent le fagot—He is suspected of heresy (lit. he smells of the faggot). | 349 |
| Il y a une espèce de honte d’être heureux à la vue de certaines misères—It is a kind of shame to feel happy with certain miseries before our eyes. | 350 |
| Insouciance—Indifference. | 351 |
| Jamais l’innocence et le mystère n’habitèrent long tems ensemble—Innocence and mystery never dwelt any length of time together. | 352 |
| Jamais on ne vaincra les Romains que dans Rome—The Romans will never be conquered except in Rome. | 353 |
| Jardin des plantes—A botanical garden. | 354 |
| Je ne puis pas me refondre—I cannot change my opinion or purpose (lit. recast myself). | 355 |
| Je ne sais quoi—I know not what. | 356 |
| Jet d’eau—A jet of water. | 357 |
| Jeu d’enfant—Child’s play. | 358 |
| Jeu de hazard—Game of chance. | 359 |
| Jeu de mains, jeu de vilain—Horse-play, or practical joking, is vulgar. | 360 |
| Jeu de mots—Quibble; pun. | 361 |
| Jeu de theâtre—Stage-trick; clap-trap. | 362 |
| Jeune, et dans l’âge heureux qui méconnait la crainte—Young, and at that happy age which knows no fear. | 363 |
| Jour de fête—Holiday. | 364 |
| Jour gras—Flesh day. | 365 |
| Jour maigre—Fish day. | 366 |
| Journal pour rire—Comic journal. | 367 |
| Jugez un homme par ses questions, plutôt que par ses résponses—Judge of a man by his questions rather than his answers. | 368 |
| L’élévation est au merité, ce que la parure est aux belles personnes—Exalted station is to merit what the ornament of dress is to handsome persons. | 369 |
| L’adversité falt l’homme, et le bonheur les monstres—Men are formed in adversity, monsters in prosperity. | 370 |
| L’affaire s’achemine—The affair is going forward. | 371 |
| L’amour est une passion qui vient souvent sans savoir comment, et qui s’en va aussi de même—Love is a passion which comes often we know not how, and which goes also in like manner. | 372 |
| L’avare est comme ces amans qu’un excès d’amour empêche de jouir—The miser is like a lover the excess of whose passion bars the enjoyment of it. | 373 |
| L’avenir—The future. | 374 |
| L’empire des lettres—The republic of letters. | 375 |
| L’ennui du beau, amène le goût du singulier—When we tire of the beautiful it induces a taste for singularity. | 376 |
| L’esprit est le dieu des instants, le génie est le dieu des âges—Wit is the god of the moments, but genius is the god of the ages. | 377 |
| L’esprit ressemble aux coquettes; ceux qui courent après lui sont ceux qu’il favorise le moins—Wit is like a coquette; those who run after it are the least favoured. | 378 |
| L’excellence et la grandeur d’une âme brille et éclate d’avantage dans le mépris de richesse—The excellence and greatness of a soul are most conspicuously and strikingly displayed in the contempt of riches. | 379 |
| L’expérience de beaucoup d’opinions donne à l’esprit beaucoup de flexibilité, et l’affermit dans celles qu’il croit les meilleures—Acquaintance with a wide range of opinion imparts to the mind great flexibility, and confirms it in those which it believes to be the best. | 380 |
| L’heure est à Dieu, l’espérance à tous—The hour appertains to God, hope to all. | 381 |
| L’homme est sourd à ses maux tant qu’à ses intérêts quand il s’agit de ses plaisirs—Men are regardless of their misfortunes as well as their interests when either are in competition with their pleasures. | 382 |
| L’homme est toujours l’enfant, et l’enfant toujours l’homme—The man is always the child, and the child is always the man. | 383 |
| L’homme n’est jamais moins misérable que quand il paraît dépourvu de tout—Man is never less miserable than when he appears destitute of everything. | 384 |
| L’homme nécessaire—The right man. | 385 |
| L’imagination galope, le jugement ne va que le pas—The imagination gallops, the judgment merely walks. | 386 |
| L’impossibilité où nous sommes de prouver que Dieu n’est pas, nous découvre son existence—The impossibility which we feel of proving that there is not a God reveals to us His existence. | 387 |
| L’industrie des hommes s’épuise à briguer les charges, il ne leur en reste plus pour en remplir les devoirs—The energies of men are so exhausted in canvassing for places, that they have none left to perform the duties which belong to them. | 388 |
| L’usage fréquent des finesses est toujours l’effet d’une grande incapacité, et la marque d’un petit esprit—The frequent recourse to finesse is always the effect of incapacity and the mark of a small mind. | 389 |
| Lèse-majestê—High-treason. | 390 |
| La beauté de l’esprit donne de l’admiration, celle de l’âme donne de l’estime, et celle du corps de l’amour—The charms of wit excite admiration, those of the soul esteem, and those of the body love. | 391 |
| La bonne fortune et la mauvaise sont nécessaire à l’homme pour le rendre habile—Good fortune and bad are alike necessary to man in order to develop his capability. | 392 |
| La bride sur le cou—With loose reins; at full speed. | 393 |
| La carrière ouverte aux talents—The course is open to men of talent—the tools to the man that can handle them (of which truth Napoleon has been described as the great preacher). | 394 |
| La crédulité est plutôt une erreur qu’une faute, et les plus de gens de bien en sont susceptibles—Credulity is rather an error than a fault, and the worthiest people are most subject to it. | 395 |
| La criaillerie ordinaire fait qu’on s’y accoutume et chacun la méprise—By continually scolding your inferiors, they at length become accustomed to it, and despise your reproof. | 396 |
| La fleur des pois—The tip-top of fashion. | 397 |
| La fortune du pot—Pot-luck. | 398 |
| La liberté est ancienne; c’est le despotisme qui est nouveau—Liberty is of ancient date; it is despotism that is new. | 399 |
| La maladie sans maladie.—The disease without disease, i.e., hypochondria. | 400 |
| La marque d’un mérite extraordinaire est de voir que ceux qui l’envient le plus, sont contraints de le louer—The proof of superior merit is to see how those who envy it most are constrained to praise it. | 401 |
| La mode est un tyran dont rien nous délivre, / A son bizarre goût il faut s’accommoder—Fashion is a tyrant from which there is no deliverance; all must conform to its whimsical taste. | 402 |
| La morale trop austère se fait moins aimer qu’elle ne se fait craindre; et qui veut qu’on profite de ses leçons donne envie de les entendre—Morality when too austere makes itself less loved than feared; and he who wishes others to profit from its lessons should awaken a desire to listen to them. | 403 |
| La nature a donné deux garants de la chastité des femmes, la pudeur et les remords; la confession les prive de l’un, et l’absolution de l’autre—Nature has given two safeguards for female chastity, modesty and remorse, but confession deprives them of the one and absolution of the other. | 404 |
| La patience est le remède le plus sûre contre les calomnies: le temps, tôt ou tard, découvre la vérité—Patience is the surest antidote against calumny; time, sooner or later, will disclose the truth. | 405 |
| La patrie veut être servie, et non pas dominée—Our country requires us to serve her, and not to lord it over her. | 406 |
| La philosophie non seulement dissipe nos inquiétudes, mais elle nous arme contre tous les coups de la fortune—Philosophy not only dissipates our anxieties, but it arms us against the buffets of fortune. | 407 |
| La philosophie qui nous promet de nous rendre heureux, trompe—Philosophy, so far as she promises us happiness, deceives us. | 408 |
| La plus courte folie est toujours la meilleure—The short folly is always the best. | 409 |
| La politesse est l’art de rendre à chacun sans effort ce que lui est socialement dû—Politeness is the art of rendering spontaneously to every one that which is his due as a member of society. | 410 |
| La propriété exclusive est un vol dans la nature—Exclusive ownership is a theft in nature. | 411 |
| La réputation d’un homme est comme son ombre, qui tantôt le suit, et tantôt le précède; quelquefois elle est plus longue, et quelquefois plus courte que lui—A man’s reputation is like his shadow, which sometimes follows, sometimes precedes him, and which is occasionally longer, occasionally shorter than he is. | 412 |
| La vérité ne fait pas autant de bien dans le monde que ses apparences y font de mal—Truth does not produce so much good in the world as the hypocritical profession of it does mischief. | 413 |
| La vertu a des appas qui nous portent au véritable bonheur—Virtue has attractions which lead us to true happiness. | 414 |
| Laisser dire le monde, et toujours bien faire, c’est une maxime, qui étant bien observée assure notre repos, et établit enfin notre réputation—To let the world talk, and always to act correctly, is a maxim which, if well observed, will secure our repose, and in the end establish our reputation. | 415 |
| Langage des halles—Language of the fish-market. | 416 |
| Le beau monde—The fashionable world. | 417 |
| Le bonheur de l’homme en cette vie ne consiste pas à être sans passions, il consiste à en être le maître—The happiness of man in this life does not consist in being devoid of passions, but in mastering them. | 418 |
| Le cœur d’une femme est un vrai miroir qui reçoit toutes sortes d’objets sans s’attacher à aucun—The heart of woman is a real mirror, which reflects every object without attaching itself to any. | 419 |
| Le conquérant est craint, le sage est estimé, / Mais le bienfaiteur plait, et lui seul est aimé—The conqueror is held in awe, the sage is esteemed, but it is the benevolent man who wins our affections and is alone beloved. | 420 |
| Le conseil manque à l’âme, / Et le guide au chemin—The soul wants counsel, and the road a guide. | 421 |
| Le dessous des cartes—The lower side of the cards. | 422 |
| Le mérité est souvent un obstacle à la fortune; c’est qu’il produit toujours deux mauvais effets, l’envie et la crainte—Merit is often an obstacle to fortune; the reason is it produces two bad effects, envy and fear. | 423 |
| Le monde savant—The learned world. | 424 |
| Le mort est le dernier trait du tableau de la vie—Death is the finishing touch in the picture of life. | 425 |
| Le mot de l’énigme—The key to the riddle. | 426 |
| Le moyen le plus sûr de se consoler de tout ce qui peut arriver, c’est de s’attendre toujours au pire—The surest way to console one’s self against whatever may happen is always to expect the worst. | 427 |
| Le pas—Precedence in place or rank. | 428 |
| Le petit monde—The lower orders. | 429 |
| Le présent est pour ceux qui jouissent, l’avenir pour ceux qui souffrent—The present is for those who enjoy, the future for those who suffer. | 430 |
| Le sentiment de la liberté est plus vif, plus il y entre de malignité—The passion for liberty is the keener the greater the malignity associated with it. | 431 |
| Le tout ensemble—The whole together. | 432 |
| Le travail éloigne de nous trois grand maux, l’ennui, le vice, et le besoin—Labour relieves us from three great evils, ennui, vice, and want. | 433 |
| Les affaires font les hommes—Business makes men. | 434 |
| Les amertumes sont en morale ce que sont les amers en médicine—Afflictions are in morals what bitters are in medicine. | 435 |
| Les bras croisés—Idle (lit. the arms folded). | 436 |
| Les femmes ont un instinct céleste pour le malheur—Women have a divine instinctive feeling for misfortune. | 437 |
| Les gens qui ont peu d’affaires, sont de très grands parleurs—People who have little to do are excessive talkers. | 438 |
| Les hommes ne sont justes qu’envers ceux qu’ils aiment—Men are just only to those they love. | 439 |
| Les jeunes gens disent ce qu’ils font, les vieillards ce qu’ils ont fait, et les sots ce qu’ils ont envie de faire—Young people talk of what they are doing, old people of what they have done, and fools of what they have a mind to do. | 440 |
| Les mœurs se corrompent de jour en jour, et on ne saurait plus distinguer les vrais d’avec les faux amis—Our manners are daily degenerating, and we can no longer distinguish true friends from false. | 441 |
| Les maladies viennent à cheval, retournent à pied—Diseases make their attack on horseback, but retire on foot. | 442 |
| Les passions sont les vents qui font aller notre vaisseau, et la raison est le pilote qui le conduit; le vaisseau n’irait point sans les vents, et se perdrait sans le pilote—The passions are the winds which propel our vessel; our reason is the pilot that steers her; without winds the vessel would not move; without pilot she would be lost. | 443 |
| Les plus grands crimes ne coutent rien aux ambitieux, quand il s’agit d’une couronne—The greatest crimes cause no remorse in an ambitious man when a crown is at stake. | 444 |
| Les plus malheureux osent pleurer le moins—Those who are most wretched dare least give vent to their grief. | 445 |
| Les races se féminisent—Races are becoming effeminate. | 446 |
| Les vers sont enfants de la lyre; / Il faut les chanter, non les lire—Verses are children of the lyre; they must be sung, not read. | 447 |
| Ménage—Housekeeping. | 448 |
| Métier d’auteur, métier d’oseur—The profession of author is a daring profession. | 449 |
| Maître Jacques—A handy fellow who is ready to undertake all kinds of work. | 450 |
| Magasins de nouveautés—Linen-draper’s, or fancy goods’, shop. | 451 |
| Maison de force—A house of correction. | 452 |
| Mal à propos—Ill-timed; unseasonable. | 453 |
| Maladie du pays—Home-sickness. | 454 |
| Manège—Riding-house; horsemanship. | 455 |
| Mange-tout—A spendthrift (lit. eat-all). | 456 |
| Marchandise de rencontre—Second-hand goods. | 457 |
| Mariage de convenance—A marriage from considerations of advantage. | 458 |
| Matinée—A morning recital or performance. | 459 |
| Matson d’arrêt—A jail, a prison. | 460 |
| Mauvais pas—A scrape; a difficulty. | 461 |
| Mauvais sujet—A bad or worthless fellow. | 462 |
| Mauvais ton—Bad manners. | 463 |
| Mauvaise honte—False shame. | 464 |
| Mauvaise langue—A slanderous tongue. | 465 |
| Menace-moi de vivre et non pas de mourir—Threaten me with life and not with death. | 466 |
| Menu—Bill of fare. | 467 |
| Menus plaisirs—Pocket-money. | 468 |
| Mise en scène—The getting up or putting in preparation for the stage. | 469 |
| Moins on pense plus on parle—The less people think, the more they talk. | 470 |
| Mont de piété—Pawnshop; originally store of money to lend without interest to poor people. | 471 |
| Morceau d’ensemble—Piece of music harmonised for several voices. | 472 |
| Morceau—A morsel; a bit. | 473 |
| Mot d’ordre—Watchword. | 474 |
| Mot pour rire—A jest. | 475 |
| Mots d’usage—Phrases in common use. | 476 |
| N’importe—No matter. | 477 |
| Nager entre deux eaux—To waver between two parties. | 478 |
| Ni l’un ni l’autre—Neither the one nor the other. | 479 |
| Noces de Gamache—A very sumptuous repast. | 480 |
| Nom de guerre—An assumed name. | 481 |
| Nom de plume—Assumed name of an author. | 482 |
| Nonchalance—Coolness; indifference. | 483 |
| Nous verrons, dit l’aveugle—We shall see, as the blind man said. | 484 |
| On dit de gueux qu’ils ne sont jamais dans leur chemins, parce qu’ils n’ont point de demeure fixe. Il en est de même de cause qui disputent, sans avoir des notions déterminées—It is said of beggars that they are never on their way, for they have no fixed dwelling-place; it is the same with people who dispute without having definite ideas. | 485 |
| On dit—They say; a flying rumour or current report. | 486 |
| On entre et on crie, / Et voilà la vie! / On crie et on sort, / Et voilà la mort!—We come and cry, and that is life; we cry and go, and that is death. | 487 |
| On fait souvent tort à la vérité par la manière dont on se sert pour la défendre—We often injure the truth by our manner of defending it. | 488 |
| On n’aime plus comme on aimait jadis—People no longer love as they used to do long ago. | 489 |
| On n’auroit guère de plaisir, si l’on ne se flattoit point—A man should have little pleasure if he did not sometimes flatter himself. | 490 |
| On n’est jamais trahi que par ses siens—A man is never betrayed except by his friends. | 491 |
| On ne considère pas assez les paroles comme des faits—We don’t sufficiently consider that words are deeds. | 492 |
| On ne vit dans la mémoire du monde que par des travaux pour le monde—One lives in the world’s memory only by what he has done in the world’s behalf. | 493 |
| On peut attirer les cœurs par les qualités qu’on montre, mais on ne les fixe que par celles qu’on a—People’s affections may be attracted by the qualities which we affect, but they can only be won by those which we really possess. | 494 |
| Oublier d’éclairer sa lanterne—To express one’s self obscurely (lit. to forget to light one’s lantern. | 495 |
| Périssons en résistant!—Let us die resisting! | 496 |
| Pacte de famille—A family compact. | 497 |
| Par excellence—Pre-eminently. | 498 |
| Par l’écoulement du temps—By the lapse of time. | 499 |
| Par manière d’acquit—For form’s sake. | 500 |
| Par signe de mépris—In token of contempt. | 501 |
| Parlez peu et bien, si vous voulez qu’on vous regarde comme un homme de mérite—Speak little and well if you wish to be esteemed a man of merit. | 502 |
| Pas à pas on va bien loin—Step by step one goes very far. | 503 |
| Pendre la crémaillère—To give a house-warming. | 504 |
| Petit maître—Fop; coxcomb. | 505 |
| Petites affiches—Advertiser. | 506 |
| Petites maisons—A madhouse. | 507 |
| Petits soins—Little attentions. | 508 |
| Peu et bien—Little but good. | 509 |
| Pièce de position—A heavy gun. | 510 |
| Pièce de résistance—A solid joint. | 511 |
| Pièces de théâtre—Plays. | 512 |
| Pis-aller—A last shift. | 513 |
| Pour comble de bonheur—As the height of happiness. | 514 |
| Pour couper court—To cut the matter short. | 515 |
| Pour encourager les autres—To encourage the rest to go and do likewise. | 516 |
| Pour faire de l’esprit—To play the wit. | 517 |
| Pour faire rire—To excite laughter. | 518 |
| Pour l’ordinaire la fortune nous vend bien chèrement, ce qu’on croit qu’elle nous donne—Fortune usually sells us very dear what we fancy she is giving us. | 519 |
| Pour qui ne les croit pas, il n’est pas de prodiges—There are no miracles for those who have no faith in them. | 520 |
| Précepte commence, exemple achève—Precept begins, example perfects. | 521 |
| Prendre les choses au pis—To regard matters in the most unfavourable light. | 522 |
| Quand les vices nous quittent, nous nous flattons que c’est nous qui les quittons—When vices forsake us, we flatter ourselves that it is we who forsake them. | 523 |
| Quand on n’a pas ce que l’on aime, / Il faut aimer ce que l’on a—When we have not what we like, we must like what we have. | 524 |
| Quand on ne trouve pas son repos en soi-même, il est inutile de le chercher ailleurs—When we do not find repose in ourselves, it is in vain to look for it elsewhere. | 525 |
| Que mon nom soit flétri—(So be the cause triumphs) let my name be blighted. | 526 |
| Que votre âme et vos mœurs peintes dans vos ouvrages—Let your mind and manners be painted in your works. | 527 |
| Qui n’a point d’amour n’a pas de beaux jours—He who knows not love has no happy days. | 528 |
| Qui vive?—Who goes there? | 529 |
| Régime—Form of government. | 530 |
| Réponse sans réplique—An answer that does not admit of reply. | 531 |
| Résumé—Recapitulation; summary. | 532 |
| Rechauffé—Heated again; stale. | 533 |
| Reculer pour mieux sauter—To step back in order to leap better. | 534 |
| Reine d’un jour—Queen for a day. | 535 |
| Rente viagère—An annuity. | 536 |
| Rentes—Funds bearing interest; stocks. | 537 |
| Rentier—A fund-holder. | 538 |
| Rien n’est plus estimable que la civilité; mais rien de plus ridicule, et de plus à charge, que la cérémonie—Nothing is more estimable then politeness, and nothing more ridiculous or tiresome than ceremony. | 539 |
| Rien ne m’est sûr que la chose incertaine—There is nothing certain but the uncertain. | 540 |
| Rire à gorge déployée—To laugh immoderately. | 541 |
| Rogner les ailes à quelqu’un—To clip one’s wings. | 542 |
| Roi fainéant—A do-nothing king. | 543 |
| Ruse contre ruse—Diamond cut diamond. | 544 |
| Ruse de guerre—A stratagem. | 545 |
| Salle-à-manger—A dining-room. | 546 |
| Salon—A drawing-room; a picture gallery or exhibition. | 547 |
| Sang-froid—Indifference; apathy; coolness. | 548 |
| Sans changer—Without changing. | 549 |
| Sans Dieu rien—Nothing without God. | 550 |
| Sans façon—Without ceremony. | 551 |
| Sans les femmes les deux extrémités de la vie seroient sans secours, et le milieu sans plaisir—Without woman the two extremities of life would be destitute of succour, and the middle without pleasure. | 552 |
| Sans phrase—Without phrase; without amplification; simply. | 553 |
| Savoir-vivre—Good breeding; good manners. | 554 |
| Si nous ne nous flattions pas nous-mêmes, la flatterie des autres ne nous pourroit nuire—If we did not flatter ourselves, the flattery of others would not harm us. | 555 |
| Soi-disant—Self-styled. | 556 |
| Souvent la perfidie retourne sur son auteur—Treachery often recoils on the head of its author. | 557 |
| Tête-à-tête—Face to face; a private conversation. | 558 |
| Table d’hôte—A common table for guests. | 559 |
| Tableau vivant—A group in which statues or pictures are represented by living persons. | 560 |
| Tant mieux—So much the better. | 561 |
| Tant pis—So much the worse. | 562 |
| Tant va la cruche à l’eau qu’à la fin elle se brise—The pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last. | 563 |
| Tiers état—The third estate; the commons. | 564 |
| Toujours perdrix—Always partridges. | 565 |
| Tour d’adresse—A trick of sleight of hand. | 566 |
| Tour de force—A feat of strength or skill. | 567 |
| Tourner autour du pot—To beat about the bush. | 568 |
| Tous frais faits—All charges paid. | 569 |
| Tout-à-fait—Quite. | 570 |
| Toute révélation d’un secret est la faute de celui qui l’a confié—The disclosure of a secret is always the fault of him who confided it. | 571 |
| Un enfant en ouvrant les yeux doit voir la patrie, et jusqu’à la mort ne voir qu’elle—A child, on first opening his eyes, ought to see his country, and till death through life see only it. | 572 |
| Un homme vous protège par ce qu’il vaut; une femme par ce que vous valez. Voilà pourquoi de ces deux empires, l’un est si odieux, l’autre si doux—A man protects you by what he is worth; a woman by what you are worth. That is why the empire of the one is so odious, and the other so sweet. | 573 |
| Un livre est un ami qui ne trompe jamais—A book is a friend that never deceives us. | 574 |
| Un père est un banquier donné par la nature—A father is a banker provided by nature. | 575 |
| Ventre à terre—At full speed; with all one’s might. | 576 |
| Visage fardé—A painted, or dissembling, countenance. | 577 |
| Vive la bagatelle!—Success to trifling! | 578 |
| Vive la nation!—Long live the nation! | 579 |
| Vivent les gueux!—Long live the beggars! | 580 |
| Vivre, c’est penser et sentir son âme—To live is to think, and feel one has a soul of his own. | 581 |
| Vogue la galère!—Come what may! | 582 |
| Voilà une autre chose—That’s quite another matter. | 583 |
| Volte face—A change of front. | 584 |
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