*Rouge le soir et blanc le matin, C’est la journée du pèlerin = Red at night is the shepherd’s delight, Red in the morning, the shepherd’s warning. Evening red and morning gray Are two sure signs of a fine day.
Blé
Manger son blé en herbe = To anticipate one’s revenue.
Bleu
J’en suis tout bleu (fam.) = Well! I am surprised.
Bloc
En bloc = In the mass, in the lump.
Boire
Plus il boit, plus il a soif = Ever drunk, ever dry.
*Qui a bu n’a point de secrets = When wine sinks, words swim; In vino veritas; Drink washes off the daub, and discovers the man; What the sober man has in his heart, the drunkard has on his lips.
[“La vérité sort mieux d’un tonneau que d’un puits.” Augier, L’Aventurière, ii. 4.]
*Le vin est tiré, il faut le boire = You have gone too far now to draw back; In for a penny, in for a pound.
[At the siege of Douai in 1667, Louis XIV. found himself unexpectedly under a heavy cannonade from the besieged city. In compliance with the entreaties of those around him, who urged him not to risk so important a life, he was about to retire in a somewhat unsoldierly and unkingly fashion, when M. de Charost rode up and whispered this proverb in his ear. The king remained exposed to the fire of the enemy for a suitable time, and held in higher honour the counsellor who had saved him from an unseemly retreat.—Trench. “Le vin est tiré, Monsieur, il faut le boire” is a line in Regnard’s Joueur, iii. 2.]
Ce n’est pas la mer à boire = That is no very difficult matter.
Il boit du lait (fam.) = He is satisfied, happy.
*Qui a bu boira = Habit is second nature; If you take to the habit of drinking you cannot get rid of it.
[“Et quiconque a joué, toujours joue et jouera.” Regnard, Le Joueur, iv. 1.]
Boire comme un trou (une éponge) = To drink like a fish.
Boire un bouillon (lit.) = To swallow water (when swimming); To swallow a bitter pill; To lose a lot of money.
Boire sec = To drink hard; To drink wine neat (without adding water).
Boire le calice jusqu’à la lie = To drink the cup to the dregs.
Il boirait la mer et ses poissons = Nothing can assuage his thirst.
Croyez cela et buvez de l’eau (fam.) = Do not believe that, I know it is not true; Surely you are not simple enough to believe that!
*Qui fait la faute la boit = As you have brewed, so you must drink; As you have sown, so you must reap; As you make your bed, so you must lie on it.
Boire à tire-larigot = To drink excessively.
[The origin of this expression is obscure. Larousse gives the following explanation, adding that it was probably invented to explain the saying, as it can be found in no ancient author. “Odo Rigaud was formerly Archbishop of Rouen, and in celebration of his appointment he had a huge bell cast for his cathedral in 1282. This bell was called after him la Rigaud. After ringing this bell, the bellringers required much wine to refresh them; hence boire à tire larigot, or la Rigaud, meant to drink like one who has been ringing a heavy bell.” Littré favours the derivation from larigot, or arigot, a little flute, and then the expression would be analogous to flûter, a popular word for boire. But probably the correct explanation is that of Sainte-Palaye, who says that a later meaning of arigot was the tap of a cask, so that this being pulled out, one could drink more without any delay.]
Bois
On verra de quel bois je me chauffe = They will see what stuff I am made of.
Faire flèche de tout bois = To use every means to accomplish an end; To leave no stone unturned.
Il ne savait plus de quel bois faire flèche = He did not know which way to turn. (See Saint and Pied.)
Il est du bois dont on fait les flûtes = He is of an easy, pliable disposition (i.e. like the flexible reeds of which flutes were originally made).
Nous avons trouvé visage de bois = We found nobody at home; “We found the oak sported.”
Le bois tortu fait le feu droit = The end justifies the means.
Boiteux
Il ne faut pas clocher devant les boiteux = One must not remind people of their infirmities. (See Corde.)
Bombarder
Il vient d’être bombardé membre de ce club = He has just been pitchforked into that club (over the heads of more deserving people).
Bon
Il la fait courte et bonne = He is having a short life and a merry one.
*A quelque chose malheur est bon = It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Dites-moi une bonne fois pourquoi vous êtes mécontent = Tell me once and for all why you are dissatisfied.
A quoi bon lui dire cela? = What is the good of telling him that?
A la bonne heure! = 1. Well done! 2. That is something like! 3. At last! 4. Capital!
Il n’est pas bon à jeter aux chiens = He is good for nothing.
Il a bon pied, bon œil = He is sound, wind and limb; He is hale and hearty.
Faire bonne mine à mauvais jeu = To put a good face on misfortune; To make the best of a bad job.
[Also: Faire contre fortune bon cœur.]
*A bon jour, bonne œuvre = The better the day, the better the deed.
Tout lui est bon = All is fish that comes to his net.
Si bon vous semble = If you think fit.
*Les bons comptes font les bons amis = Short reckonings make long friends.
*A bon vin point d’enseigne = Good wine needs no bush. (See Vin.)
Une bonne fuite vaut mieux qu’une mauvaise attente = Discretion is the better part of valour.
En voilà une bonne! (i.e. plaisanterie); Elle est bonne, celle-là! = Oh! what a good joke! “What a cram!” That’s rather a tall story.
Est-ce qu’il est parti pour tout de bon? = Has he gone for good?
Bond
Faire faux bond = 1. To deceive. 2. To fail to keep an appointment.
Il ne va que par sauts et par bonds = He only works by fits and starts.
Tant de bond que de volée = By hook or by crook.
Bonheur
Au petit bonheur! = I will chance it!
Par bonheur = As luck would have it.
Bonhomme
Petit bonhomme vit encore = There’s life in the old dog yet.
[An expression derived from a game which consisted in lighting a large roll of paper and passing it round a circle of people, each one repeating these words. The roll would often appear to be out, when a vigorous swirl would fan it again into a flame.]
Boniment