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French Expression
| Meaning | to beat wildly, pound, race | |
| Literally | to beat the fanfare | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[bahtr(eu) lah shah mahd] |
| IPA | [batʁə la ʃa mad] | |
Usage notes: The French expression battre la chamade indicates a wildly beating heart due to fear, exhilaration, or some other strong emotion.
Par exemple…
| Ah, tu m’as fait peur ! Mon cœur bat la chamade ! | Oh, you startled me! My heart is racing! | |
| Son cœur battait la chamade pendant toute la nuit. | His heart pounded all night. |
Variations
- avoir le cœur qui bat la chamade – to have a wildly beating heart
- se mettre à battre la chamade – to start pounding
| Le soldat avait le cœur qui battait la chamade. | The soldier’s heart was beating wildly. | |
| En le voyant, mon cœur s’est mis à battre la chamade. | Upon seeing him, my heart started pounding. |
Battre la chamade is cut down to its bare minimum in the title of Françoise Sagan’s novel La Chamade.
Related lessons
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