Expressions Animales — poser un lapin, avoir le cafard

Expressions Animales — Donner sa Langue au Chat, Avoir le Cafard

By the end of this lesson, you will understand and use 14 French idioms featuring animals, recognize their figurative meanings, and avoid literal-translation errors.

Les animaux dans l'imaginaire idiomatique français

French idioms involving animals are among the richest and most culturally revealing. Unlike English, which often uses horses and dogs as its animal metaphors, French draws equally on cats, rabbits, wolves, fish, chickens, and insects. These expressions are deeply embedded in daily conversation — missing them means missing the point of many sentences you'll hear and read.

14 expressions animales essentielles

Le chat 🐱

1. Donner sa langue au chat — to give up guessing Je ne sais pas. Je donne ma langue au chat ! — I don't know. I give up! Used when you're stuck on a riddle or puzzle. Chat here may reference cats playing with (and then ignoring) prey.

2. Quand les chats ne sont pas là, les souris dansent — when the cat's away, the mice will play Dès que la directrice est partie, tout le monde a arrêté de travailler. Quand les chats ne sont pas là...

3. Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — to have bigger fish to fry / other things to worry about Je ne peux pas m'occuper de ça maintenant — j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter. — I can't deal with that now; I have bigger fish to fry.

Le lapin 🐰

4. Poser un lapin — to stand someone up (also covered in previous lesson) Il m'a encore posé un lapin ! — He stood me up again!

5. Il ne faut pas pousser mémère dans les orties — don't push things too far (uses "old lady" but animal spirit) Note: this is a separate popular idiom meaning "don't push your luck."

Le loup 🐺

6. Avoir une faim de loup — to be ravenously hungry Je n'ai rien mangé depuis ce matin — j'ai une faim de loup ! — I've eaten nothing since this morning — I'm starving!

7. Il faut hurler avec les loups — when in Rome, do as the Romans do (lit. you must howl with the wolves) Au bureau, tout le monde fait des heures sup — il faut hurler avec les loups.

8. Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue — speak of the devil (lit. when you speak of the wolf, you see his tail) Ah, justement, quand on parle du loup ! — Well, speak of the devil! (when someone arrives just as you mention them)

Les insectes 🐝

9. Avoir le cafard — to feel down, depressed — Since he left, she's really been feeling low.