Francophone Week: The perfect French expressions that will give English-speakers a headache

France is going through the motions at the moment.

Protests and repeated strikes because of President Macron’s recent pension reform have been grinding the country to a halt.

While a royal visit from King Charles this Sunday would normally be cause for celebration, some are threatening to protest during his visit and use it as a platform to vent their anger at who they view as France’s current Louis XIV.

Aside from their crushing victory against England during the Six Nations rugby earlier this month, it feels like the country has little to cheer for of late. But it may have escaped you that this week was La Semaine de la Langue Française et de la Francophonie - French Language and Francophone Week.

So, what better time to celebrate the French language, and dwell on some expressions that sound nonsensical to foreign ears. After all, try getting your head around conversations about breaking three legs on a duck, having your arse lined with noodles whilst being on your 31…

Confused? We've got you covered. Here are some of Euronews Culture’s favourite common French idioms that may baffle English speakers and which definitely speak to the language’s rich history and humour.

Literal translation: To fall in the apples.

Meaning: To faint. When the French pass out, they lose consciousness in fruit.

Origin: The expression apparently first appeared in a letter sent by French novelist George Sand to her friend Madama Dupin in the 19th century. However, it actually goes back to a linguistic deformation, an expression which derives from the medieval expression “Tomber dans les pâmes” – the old French “se pâmer” meaning to faint.

Literal translation: It doesn’t break three legs on a duck.

Meaning: It’s nothing spectacular / it’s banal. Nothing