45 Yummy French Idioms About Food (+Free PDF)

Everyone likes food, especially French food. So why not learn some handy French idioms about food, then?

Before you start reading this post, make sure your stomach is full but we don’t guarantee that it will help.

Here’s something that could help. While you are reading them, don’t think about the food but focus on your French pronunciation.

You can also download the List of French idioms about food in the PDF file for free below. Let’s get started.

• À ma sauce.

Literal translation: To my sauce.

True meaning: Suit my style.

• Avoir la pêche.

Literal translation: To have the peach.

True meaning: To be full of energy.

• Avoir du pain sur la planche.

Literal translation: To have bread on the breadboard.

True meaning: To have a lot on your plate.

• Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez.

Literal translation: To have mustard that goes up the nose.

True meaning: To lose your temper.

• Ça ne mange pas du pain.

Literal translation: That doesn’t eat bread.

True meaning: It can’t hurt.

• Carrotter 

Literal translation: To carrot.

True meaning: To swipe/to swindle.

• Ça se boit comme du petit-lait.

Literal translation: To drink something like it’s whey.

True meaning: That goes down easy.

• C’est la fin des haricots.

Literal translation: It’s the end of beans.

True meaning: There is nothing left/it’s the end.

• Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un. 

Literal translation: To break sugar on top of someone’s back.

True meaning: To talk about someone behind his/her back.

• C’est du pain bénit.

Literal translation: It’s blessed bread.

True meaning: It’s a godsend.

• C’est pour ma pomme. 

Literal translation: It’s for my apple.

True meaning: It’s my treat/it’s on me.

• Changer de crémerie.

Literal translation: To change for another dairy shop.

True meaning: To take one’s custom elsewhere.

• Coller un pain à quelqu’un.

Literal translation: To stick bread to someone.

True meaning: To punch someone in the face,

• Dent de lait.

Literal translation: Milk tooth.

True meaning: Baby tooth.

• En faire tout un fromage / un plat / un cake. 

Literal translation: To make a whole cheese/dish/cake.

True meaning: To make a fuss about something.

• Être dans les choux.

Literal translation: To be in the cabbages.

True meaning: To be in a bad situation/To fail.

• Être soupe au lait.

Literal translation: To be milk soup.

True meaning: To be short-tempered.

• Filer un pain à quelqu’un.

Literal translation: To give bread to someone.

True meaning: To punch someone in the face.

• Gagne-pain. 

Literal translation: Win-bread.

True meaning: Livelihood or breadwinner.

• Haut comme trois pommes.

Literal translation: As high as three apples.

True meaning: Small.

• La cerise sur le gâteau. 

Literal translation: The cherry on top of the cake.

True meaning: The cherry on top/the icing on the cake.

• Les carottes sont cuites.

Literal translation: The carrots are cooked.

True meaning: There’s no hope.

• La moutarde lui monte au nez.

Literal translation: Mustard is going up to his nose.

True meaning: To get angry.

• Long comme un jour sans pain.

Literal translation: Long like a day without bread.

True meaning: Long like a month of Sundays.

• Maman gâteau. 

Literal translation: Cake mom.

True meaning: Overindulgent mother or mother hen.

• Mettre du beurre dans les épinards. 

Literal translation: To put butter in the spinach.

True meaning: To top up your income.

• Mettre son grain de sel.

Literal translation: To put in your grain of salt.

True meaning: To put in your two cents.

• Mi-figue mi-raisin. 

Literal translation: Half-fig half-grape.

True meaning: Hesitant/between two options.

• Ne pas manger de ce pain-là. 

Literal translation: To not eat that bread there.

True meaning: To want nothing to do with it.

• Ne pas savoir quelle sauce on va manger

Literal translation: To not know which sauce we are going to eat

True meaning: To not know what fate has in store for you

• Occupe-toi de tes oignons. 

Literal translation: Take care of your onions.

True meaning: Mind your own business.

• Papa gâteau. 

Literal translation: Cake dad.

True meaning: Indulgent father.

• Pauvre pomme! 

Literal translation: Poor apple!

True meaning: Chump!

• Planche à pain.

Literal translation: Breadboard.

True meaning: Flat-chested.

• Pomme d’amour.

Literal translation: Apple of love.

True meaning: Candy apple.

• Pomme de discorde. 

Literal translation: Apple of disagreement.

True meaning: Bone of contention.

• Pomme de douche.

Literal translation: Apple of shower.

True meaning: Showerhead.

• Pour une bouchée de pain. 

Literal translation: For a mouthful of bread.

True meaning: For next to nothing.

• Prendre un pain. 

Literal translation: To take bread.

True meaning: To take a punch.

• Purée!

Literal translation: Mashed potatoes!

True meaning: Sugar! Fudge!

• Rouge comme une tomate.

Literal translation: To be as red as a tomato.

True meaning: To be embarrassed.

• Si on lui pressait le nez, il en sortait du lait.

Literal translation: If we pressed his nose, milk would come out of him.

True meaning: He’s barely out of the cradle.

• Surveiller quelqu’un comme le lait sur le feu.

Literal translation: To watch someone like milk on the stove.

True meaning: To keep a close eye on.

• Tomber dans les pommes.

Literal translation: To fall into the apples.

True meaning: to faint.

• Vouloir sa part de gâteau. 

Literal translation: To want your piece of the cake.

True meaning: To want your share of the spoils.

 

We hope you enjoyed learning all of these French idioms.

Even though this is quite a long list of food-related French idioms, the French language can be proud to have many more expressions about food. 

If you want to learn more idioms, the best solution for that is to work with French tutors. Besides these funny expressions, you will learn so much more.

 

And don’t forget to download The List of French Idioms about Food here for free. Good luck!