麻豆传媒映画

Translated literally mettre un bemol means 鈥榯o add a flat to a musical note鈥�, that is to lower the note slightly, and by extension to 鈥榩ut a dampener鈥� on something or 鈥榩lay it down鈥�.

This is what Health Minister Olivier V茅ran tried to do yesterday (August 23) in response to research from l鈥橧nstitut Pasteur suggesting that France鈥檚 fourth wave of Covid-19 may reach its peak in the next few days and then start to decrease.

Mr V茅ran said this could mean that hospitals in France would have successfully avoided the crowded and difficult conditions seen during earlier waves of the virus.

But he was quick to mettre un 产茅尘辞濒 on the idea that the fourth wave was definitely over.

As students return to school and large numbers of holidaymakers will travel between regions in France in the coming days, he said: 鈥淲e have to be extremely vigilant鈥�.

Read more: Covid France: Fourth wave set to peak but new autumn lockdown unlikely

The expression mettre un 产茅尘辞濒 has musical origins, as the word 产茅尘辞濒 means 鈥榝lat鈥� as in lowering the pitch by one semitone.

The musical symbol for a flat note is a stylised b, referencing the first letter of the Italian word bemolle.

In this sense asking a musician to mettre un 产茅尘辞濒 means suggesting they should play a note one semitone lower.

In common usage, mettre un 产茅尘辞濒 has evolved to mean to tone something down, or to be cautious about something.

While the health minister tried to do this yesterday, he did also offer some cautious optimism.

Due to the impact of vaccination, the health pass and Covid-19 testing measures, he said that people in France could 鈥渓ook ahead with less worry鈥� than at the beginning of summer.

Related articles

En faire tout un fromage: A French expression you may hear today

Donner sa langue au chat: A French expression you may hear today

脢tre dans les clous: A French expression you may hear today