Informal French Expression
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| Meaning | to be very lazy | |
| Literally | to have a hair in the hand | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[ah vwah roo(n) pwahl da(n) lah meh(n)] |
| IPA | [a vwa ʁœ̃ pwal dã la mã] | |
Usage notes: The French idiom avoir un poil dans la main offers a vivid characterization of laziness: a person whose hand is so underused that there’s a hair growing out of it.
Par exemple…
Mais il n’a fait que dalle depuis hier – il a un poil dans la main ou quoi ?
He hasn’t done a damn thing since yesterday – he sure is lazy!
Gesture
There’s a gesture that goes along with this expression: hold out one hand while pinching your other thumb and index finger together. Place them on the palm of the outstretched hand and pretend you’re grasping or pulling on the invisible hair while saying il a (tu as…) un poil dans la main.
Variations
To describe an even lazier person, you can say
- avoir un baobab dans la main (literally, "to have a baobab tree in the hand")
- avoir une forêt dans la main (a forest)
- avoir une queue de vache dans la main (a cow’s tail)
- avoir une touffe dans la main (a tuft, clump)
Synonymous expressions
- avoir la flemme
- être allergique au travail
- être fainéant
- être paresseux
- être un tire-au-flanc
- ne se fouler pas trop
- se la couler douce
Related lessons
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