{"id":30921,"date":"2018-11-21T21:13:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T20:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=30921"},"modified":"2018-11-21T21:13:16","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T20:13:16","slug":"its-in-the-pocket-fun-french-expressions-with-la-poche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/its-in-the-pocket-fun-french-expressions-with-la-poche\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s In The Pocket – Fun French Expressions With La Poche"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some expressiosn fran\u00e7aises<\/strong> (French expressions) are as close as les poches<\/strong> (pockets). In fact, this little word poche<\/strong> <\/em>is hiding quite a few fun expressions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Image<\/a> from Pixabay. Licensed under CC0.<\/p><\/div>\n

My confusion with la poche<\/strong> in une expression fran\u00e7aise <\/strong>was brought up recently while I was at Disneyland<\/a>. When leaving the studio section of the park, there’s a big sign that says:<\/p>\n

C’est dans la bo\u00eete !<\/strong>
\nIt’s in the box<\/a>!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

La phrase <\/strong>(the phrase, the sentence) immediately confused me, mais heureusement<\/a><\/strong> (but luckily), the sign was bilingue<\/strong> (bilingual) and I instantly understand the slangy nature of it:<\/p>\n

That’s a wrap!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

C’est dans la bo\u00eete<\/strong><\/em> made me think of a very similar expression I heard a few years ago. After I finished my final exams and all that was left was waiting for mon diplome<\/strong><\/a> (my diploma), many of mes camarades de classe<\/strong> (my classmates) started using une expression<\/strong> I had never heard before:<\/p>\n

C’est dans la poche !<\/strong>
\nIt’s in the pocket!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Given the context<\/a> it was easy to figure out it had something to do with being satisfied with the exam results, but I didn’t know exactly what it meant. I looked it up and learned<\/a> that l’expression<\/strong> is a metaphor using the idea of la poche<\/strong>. If something is in la poche<\/strong>, that usually means it already belongs to you. Understanding that, the English equivalent quickly jumps to mind:<\/p>\n

It’s in the bag!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was curious about other expressions that use la poche<\/strong> and to my surprise there are some fun ones:<\/p>\n

Avoir des oursins dans la poche<\/strong>
\nTo have sea urchins in your pocket<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

L’expression<\/strong> uses quite vivid imagery, but its meaning may not be immediately obvious. Certainly someone who has un oursin dans la poche<\/strong> <\/em>wouldn’t want to risk touching les piquants<\/strong> (the spines). Now if you imagine what is most often in someone’s pocket – besides un smartphone<\/strong><\/a> – l’expression<\/strong> should start to become clear:<\/p>\n

\u00catre avare<\/strong>
\nTo be stingy<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Une autre expression<\/a><\/strong> (one other expression):<\/p>\n

Acheter chat en poche<\/strong>
\nTo buy cat in pocket<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It may not help you understand its meaning, but cette expression<\/strong> can also be used with acheter<\/strong> (to buy) and poche<\/strong> <\/em>here takes on its older meaning of un sac<\/strong> (a bag).<\/p>\n

L’id\u00e9e<\/strong> (the idea) behind buying or selling a cat in a bag<\/em> is that you can’t see what’s inside it before the deal is done. So it means to blindly make a deal, usually with connotations of naivety or making a mistake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Acheter ou vendre quelque chose sans l’avoir examiner<\/strong>
\nTo buy or sell something without having examined it<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I can imagine le vendeur<\/strong> (the seller) would likely say c’est dans la poche<\/strong><\/em> after selling something other than a cat to an unlucky customer.<\/p>\n

In a more positive light, the next time you’re nearly done with a hard project or a big event at work<\/a>, try using this fun french expression to show your relief that it’s all coming together:<\/p>\n

C’est dans la poche !<\/strong>
\nIt’s in the bag!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Some expressiosn fran\u00e7aises (French expressions) are as close as les poches (pockets). In fact, this little word poche is hiding quite a few fun expressions. My confusion with la poche in une expression fran\u00e7aise was brought up recently while I was at Disneyland. When leaving the studio section of the park, there’s a big sign…<\/p>\n

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