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Hi, Welcome all on the Fast French Learning blog, the blog to Learn and Improve your French 🙂 !
In this article you are going to learn 10 new French Expressions - transports 🚓 - to improve the language 📢 !
Let's go for the French Expressions - Transports 🏎️
1 - Une vie de patachon
The meaning : a life of debauchery.
Debauchery = an exaggerated life of pleasures : drinking a lot, eating a lot, having a lot of parties ...
The origin of this french expression :
Un patachon = a car pulled by a horse, without comfort, for the transport of people.
The driver is also called un patachon.
The life of the patachon was a nomadic life, without attachment ranging from taverns to taverns, celebrating a lot.
2 - Mener une vie de bâton de chaise
The meaning : to have a messy life.
The origin of this french expression : the old sedan chairs.
They were carried on men's arms with two sticks of chair.
The sticks were all the time raised, put, pulled to clear the door and let out the passenger, then put back ... very quickly.
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To continue to improve, have a look at :
🇫🇷 Feminine 👧 and Masculine👦 country names 🌎
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3 - La cheville ouvrière
The meaning : the essential element, the manager of a company or business.
The origin of this french expression : the kingpin was the essential part of the coupling, connecting the front of the train to a wagon.
It is said that the ankle is "worker" in the sense that "it works" with forces and physical constraints.
Like a worker in a factory doing a physical job often difficult.
4 - Brûler le pavé
The meaning : to drive very fast.
The origin of this french expression : while driving fast, the wheels of the carriages, which were made of iron, made sparks while rubbing on the pavement.
Un carrosse 
Des étincelles
5 - Au quart de tour
The meaning : quickly, without hesitation.
The origin of this french expression : it was said that a car "démarrait au quart de tour" when the engine started as soon as a quarter turn was given. Today, just turn the key a quarter of a turn and the car starts!
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To continue to improve, have a look at :
🇫🇷 30 videos 📽️ in 60 days 📅 to improve your FRENCH 🇫🇷
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6 - Un train peut en cacher un autre
The meaning : appearances can be deceiving.
The origin of this french expression : as a precaution, when people crossed a railway line, the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer), to push for caution in the crossing of the railways, warned that after the passage of the 1st train, a 2nd train could arrive.
7 - En voiture, Simone !
The meaning : "Let's go".
The origin of this french expression : Simone des Forest is one of the first women to enter motor racing in the 1950s.
8 - Appuyer sur le champignon
The meaning : accelerate.
The origin of this french expression : the pedals of the first cars were simple metal rods surmounted by a half-ball, and thus looked like mushrooms.
Les pédales de la voiture 
Des champignons
9 - Partir sur les chapeaux de roues
The meaning : start fast.
The origin of this french expression : before the cars had rims not very beautiful.
We used to put hubcaps (also called "chapeaux") to hide these rims.
When the turns were tight and when the car went fast, sometimes these "chapeaux" rubbed the road.
Une jante 
Un enjoliver 
Un virage
10 - Faire une queue de poisson
The meaning : this term refers to a driver who falls back violently after doubling, forcing the other driver to brake.
The origin of this french expression : it refers to the movement of a small fish that grazes another fish with its tail.
To learn more French Expressions, have a look at 30 videos in 60 days to improve your French !
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Thank you for reading this article 🙂
Thomas 🙂
Thomas Ricomard specializes in teaching French as a foreign language. He has been providing private lessons since 2015, both in-person and online (via Skype). He taught at the Popular University of the Canton of Geneva (Switzerland) from 2015 to 2018, instructing several groups of 20 students from around the world (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mexico, etc.), ranging from beginner to intermediate levels (A1 to B2). With a Master’s degree in clinical and cognitive psychology from the University of Geneva, his knowledge of psychology allows him to tailor his teaching methods for optimal learning, taking into account factors such as visual memory versus auditory memory. He expresses his passion for the French language through writing texts, including poetry and songs, which he presents publicly at numerous music and slam events.