鈥楴o毛l au balcon, P芒ques au tison鈥�: Our French expression of the week
As Christmas approaches, we look at a phrase that might come in handy if the weather stays mild
We look at a Christmassy expression relating to warm weather
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Christmas day falls on Sunday of this week, and the festive period brings with it a host of related idioms and expressions.
The phrase 鈥�No毛l au balcon, P芒ques au tison鈥� (literally: Christmas on the balcony, Easter by the embers) could be useful this year, especially as this week promises to remain fairly mild across France.
The expression is a proverb suggesting that if the weather is unusually warm at Christmastime, it will be cold at Easter.
In this way, people who spend Christmas out on the balcony will be back by the fire at Easter.
The phrase might be said as a warning during a mild winter, or as an explanation for a cold spring.
Read also: Seven French cold weather phrases to see you through winter
There is no obvious idiomatic translation for 鈥�No毛l au balcon, P芒ques au tison鈥�, but in English one might simply say: 鈥楢 warm Christmas means a cold Easter鈥�.
Other Christmas-related expressions include: 鈥�脢tre le dindon de la farce鈥� 鈥� literally 鈥榯o be the turkey in the joke鈥�, or to be the fall guy, the butt of the joke or to be taken for a ride 鈥� and 鈥�tirer les marrons du feu鈥�.
This phrase, which translates to 鈥榯o take the chestnuts out of the fire鈥�, refers to someone who exploits or takes advantage of a situation, or profits from someone else鈥檚 hard work.
It has a negative connotation, suggesting opportunism, and comes from the Jean de La Fontaine fable 鈥�Le singe et le chat鈥� (The Monkey and the Cat), in which Bertrand the monkey persuades Raton the cat to draw chestnuts from the fire where they are roasting, promising to share them.
The cat picks them out one by one, burning its paws, and the monkey eats them all. Raton ends up getting nothing.
This story is also at the origin of the English expression 鈥榓 cat鈥檚 paw鈥�, which describes someone who acts as a dupe, a person used by another to carry out their dirty work.
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