SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French phrase of the day: Etre au taquet

For when you just can’t give any more.

French word of the Day: Etre au taquet
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know être au taquet?

Because it’s a common way of expressing enthusiasm… or exasperation.

What does it mean?

Etre au taquet means you’ve reached your limit. For a person, it’s usually positive, meaning you’re giving everything you can give, or you’re at the top of your enthusiasm and totally ready for the challenges ahead.

Although je suis au taquet can also mean that you’re submerged in work and you can’t take on any more tasks.

For objects, too, it can be less positive, since it means they have also reached their limits. A bag which is rempli au taquet is full to the brim, and can’t take anything else. Or if your car is struggling to get up a hill, you could say je suis au taquet, meaning you’re pushing the motor as much as you can and it won’t go any faster.

In the 15th century, the word taquet referred to a piece of word which served to keep a door closed. But from the 17th century it took on a second life in maritime vocabulary, referring to a piece of metal which keeps the rigging on a boat in place.

“Since it allows a boat to stretch the rope to the maximum, the taquet became a synonym for a limit that can’t be overcome,” the French Ministry of Armed Forces writes.

“That’s why this notion of reaching a limit got a new lease of life in the French Navy, where the expression ‘être au taquet’ now meant ‘to have reached the limit of your possibilities in terms of your pension, your workload, or even your patience’.”

Use it like this

J’ai hâte que la course commence, je suis au taquet – I can’t wait for the race to begin, I’m fired up

Il est au taquet pour finir son mémoire – He’s working flat out to finish his dissertation

Il fait froid, et le radiateur est au taquet pourtant – It’s cold, and yet the radiator is on full blast

Synonyms

Etre à fond – To be at the limit

Etre au max – To be at the maximum

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Métropole

This French word might come up when learning about why France has 12 time zones.

French Word of the Day: Métropole

Why do I need to know métropole?

Because you might be curious about this distinction that is sometimes made before talking about France.

What does it mean?

Métropole – roughly pronounced may-troh-pole – translates as ‘metropolis’ in English. 

Most of the time, you will hear this word from public figures, local officials and the French press when discussing the urban area encompassing a city. As such, you could talk about la métropole de Bordeaux or la métropole de Lyon – this is a defined area that includes both the city and its suburbs or sometimes even a neighbouring town.

Explained: How French métropoles, départements and communes work

It is also the term used to distinguish mainland France from its overseas territories, as such you might hear people say la France métropolitaine, or just la Métropole. This is similar to how people might use L’Hexagone to refer to mainland France, which is sort of shaped like a hexagon.

You may hear people discuss the situation in la Métropole to draw comparisons with France’s overseas territories (referred to as les DOM, départements d’outre-mer), particularly when it comes to issues of inequality. 

Use it like this

Le taux de chômage est plus élevé dans les DOM qu’en métropole -The rate of unemployment is higher in the overseas territories than in mainland France.

Elle est de la métropole, elle n’a jamais visité la Martinique. – She is from mainland France, she has never visited Martinique.

La France métropolitaine n’a qu’un seul fuseau horaire, mais si l’on considère les territoires d’outre-mer, il y a 12 fuseaux horaires français. – Mainland France is only under one timezone, but when you consider the overseas territories there are 12 French time zones.

SHOW COMMENTS