Eight French Idioms Your Textbook Probably Skipped

This transcript is edited for readability. It retains the lesson’s French models, explanations and humor; punctuation and English grammar are corrected. English translations are checked. Bracketed notes clarify factual meanings, register or caption errors; they are editorial additions rather than words spoken in the recording.

00:00 — Introduction: idioms, flirting and dating

You probably learned the basics in your French textbooks, but did anyone ever teach you how French people really talk about flirting, dating and sex? Today I’m going to reveal eight spicy French idioms you’ll never learn in class. Some are playful, some are weird, and the last one—I’m still wondering if I should teach it to you!

Quick reminder before we dive into the juicy stuff: an idiom is a figurative expression that makes no sense if you translate it word for word. French is full of these, and this is how people actually speak. Here’s the plan: we’ll start soft, get playful, and by idiom five you might blush. By idiom eight, you’ve been warned!

00:43 — Section 1: the shovel and the rake

All right, let’s start with a classic one. Rouler une pelle—literally “to roll a shovel”. Weird image, right? In French it’s slang for a deep French kiss, not just a little peck. We’re talking full-on, tongue involved. Ils se sont roulé une pelle à la soirée. — They French-kissed at the party.

So first the shovel for kissing. But if things don’t go as planned, another gardening tool shows up: prendre un râteau—literally “to take a rake”. That’s what happens when you try to flirt and get shut down. Il a dragué la barista, mais il s’est pris un râteau. — He flirted with the barista, but got rejected. She gave the rake and he took it. Anyway, let’s leave the hardware behind, because now things get interesting.

01:29 — Section 2: passer à l’acte

Passer à l’acte. In this context, “to do the deed”: a polite way to say to finally sleep with someone. Most of the time, it refers to the first time. [Here this means a couple taking that step; the expression generally means putting an intention into action and does not always refer to sex or a first time.]

Ils sortent ensemble depuis trois mois ; hier, ils sont passés à l’acte. — They’ve been dating for three months; yesterday, they finally slept together.

01:45 — Free study guide

Since we’re talking about moving forward, if you want a clear, step-by-step method that helps you learn French faster, we’ve put together a free study guide. You can download it using the link in the description. Now, back to the fun. That expression was the elegant way to say it; now let’s see the slang one.

02:04 — Section 3: passer à la casserole

Passer à la casserole—literally “to go into the cooking pot”. Sounds like a recipe, right? In the video’s dating context, it’s slang for sleeping with someone. C’est ton troisième rencard ce soir, je sens que tu vas passer à la casserole. — It’s your third date tonight; I have a feeling you’ll end up having sex.

“Not vulgar, but definitely not romantic.” [The expression can actually be coarse or demeaning, and can imply an unpleasant or forced sexual experience. It also means undergoing an unpleasant ordeal outside sexual contexts; the dating example does not make it a neutral synonym for sleeping together.]

If you want something a bit more poetic, this next one is for you.

02:27 — Section 4: s’envoyer en l’air

S’envoyer en l’air—literally “to send oneself into the air”. Sounds like skydiving, but it just means having sex. Ils se sont envoyés en l’air tout le week-end. — They had sex all weekend.

When the experience feels really good, there’s a whole other idiom for that.

02:46 — Section 5: prendre son pied

All right, next one: prendre son pied—literally “to take one’s foot”. No, it’s not about a foot fetish. In nineteenth-century slang, pied could mean a share of the profits. Over time, it came to mean having a really good time, especially in bed. [More precisely, the older slang sense is a share of loot; the Académie française links the pleasure expression to that older sense.]

Alors, c’était comment hier ? T’as pris ton pied ? — So, how was it yesterday? Did you really enjoy yourself?

But here’s the twist: it’s not always sexual. You can use it for something you really enjoy. J’ai pris mon pied à ce concert ! — I had a fantastic time at that concert!

By the way, if you’re enjoying this video, don’t forget to like it and subscribe for more spicy French tips.

03:22 — Section 6: grimper aux rideaux

If that sounds odd, wait for the next one. You won’t be able to unsee it: grimper aux rideaux—literally “to climb the curtains”. The image is wild, and that’s the point. Here it describes someone getting a lot of pleasure during sex. Il l’a fait grimper aux rideaux. — He gave her intense sexual pleasure. [The subtitle’s “He made her climb the curtains” is literal; this translation gives the figurative meaning in the lesson.]

Way more intense than just saying she enjoyed it. If that’s wild, wait until you hear the final expression. But before that, here’s one that sounds innocent until you know what it means.

03:53 — Section 7: faire des galipettes

Faire des galipettes—literally “to do somersaults”. It sounds cute, and that’s a trap! It’s an old-fashioned way to say “to have sex”. Ils ont fait des galipettes toute la nuit. — They fooled around all night.

Something you might hear in a black-and-white movie—“but nobody under 60 says it anymore”. [That age cutoff is a joke, not a rule: speakers of different ages can use it playfully. The phrase also literally means doing somersaults.]

04:09 — Section 8: tirer un coup and extra expressions

Here we are: the last idiom, and by far the most shocking one. Tirer un coup—literally “to fire a shot”. French slang for… yes, you probably guessed it. Après quelques râteaux, il a enfin fini par tirer son coup. — After a few rejections, he finally ended up having sex.

If it’s just a one-time thing, you’ll hear un coup d’un soir. Il l’a rencontrée en boîte ; c’était juste un coup d’un soir. — He met her in a nightclub; it was just a one-night stand.

If you want to take it even further, there’s also sauter quelqu’un—literally “to jump someone”. Same sexual meaning, totally unfiltered. Definitely not romantic, definitely not polite. But now you know it!

04:51 — Context and the next lesson

One reminder: don’t drop these expressions anywhere. Context is everything. If you thought these idioms were spicy, wait until you hear how French people swear. I’ve made a full, uncensored video on French curse words. Just click here to watch it. I’ll see you there!