Funny French Sayings

Just like in any other language, there are many commonly used phrases and sayings in French, which have a completely different literal and actual meaning. So, when people who do not understand the French language very well, try to translate them using dictionaries, they might find such French sayings absolutely hilarious. Given below are some of the most funny French sayings...

Funny French Sayings

Ciel, mon mari
Literal Meaning - Sky, my husband
Actual Meaning - Caught in the act

À bon chat, bon rat
Literal Meaning - For a good cat, a good rat
Actual Meaning - Tit for tat

Faire un tabac
Literal Meaning - Make a tobacco
Actual Meaning - Be the toast of the town

Aller au charbon
Literal Meaning - To go to the coal mines
Actual Meaning - To do something very difficult or arduous

Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue)
Literal Meaning - When you talk about the wolf (you see its tail)
Actual Meaning - Speak of the devil

Quelle mouche t'a piqué?
Literal Meaning - Which fly bit you?
Actual Meaning - What's the matter with you?

A` toutes les sauces
Literal Meaning - With all the sauces
Actual Meaning - In all sorts of ways

Avoir le démon de midi
Literal Meaning - To have the midday demon
Actual Meaning - To have a midlife crisis

Funny French Phrases

Arrête ton char
Literal Meaning - Stop your chariot
Actual Meaning - Stop bluffing

Ah la vache
Literal Meaning - Oh, my Cow
Actual Meaning - Good God

Avoir une peur bleue de quelque chose
Literal Meaning - To have the blue fear
Actual Meaning - To be scared stiff of something

Etre un bon coup
Literal Meaning - To be a good hit
Actual Meaning - To be good in bed

Faire un bide
Literal Meaning - To make a big belly.
Actual Meaning - To fail, flop.

Faire le pied de grue
Literal Meaning - To make like a flamingo stand
Actual Meaning - To wait

Chercher des puces
Literal Meaning - To look for fleas
Actual Meaning - To bug someone

Famous Funny French Sayings

Prendre le taureau par les cornes
Literal Meaning - Take the bull by the horns
Actual Meaning - To face a problem

Entre chien et loup
Literal Meaning - Between a dog and a wolf
Actual Meaning - Dusk or twilight

C'est la fin des haricots
Literal Meaning - That's the end of the beans
Actual Meaning - It's the last straw or that's the end of it

Souris qui n'a qu'un trou est bientôt prise
Literal Meaning - A mouse with only one mouse hole quickly gets taken
Actual Meaning - Better to be safe than sorry

La goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase
Literal Meaning - The drop of water that makes the vase overflow
Actual Meaning - The straw that broke the camel's back

Appeler un chat un chat
Literal Meaning - To call a cat, a cat
Actual Meaning - To call a spade a spade

Acheter quelque chose à prix d'or..
Literal Meaning - To buy something for the price of gold
Actual Meaning - To pay an arm and a leg for something

Qui vole un oeuf vole un boeuf
Literal Meaning - He who steals an egg, steals an ox
Actual Meaning - Once a thief, always a thief

Here's hoping that you had fun reading these funny French sayings. So, if you ever plan to visit France in future or take up French language classes, you can use some of these common French sayings to impress others and to make them laugh! Au revoir!