French Expression of the Day: Ligne de crête
This is a good word to know because everyone in life faces difficult decisions at one point or another.
Why do I need to know ligne de crête?
Because in the midst of the Covid pandemic, governments around the world are doing their best to find it.
What does it mean?
Ligne de crête, pronounced "leen de cret", literally means the "ridge line" and is often used to describe a series of peaks along a mountain range. In this sense, you would use it like this:
Cette vallée est parallèle à la ligne de crête des Alpes bernoises au nord et des Alpes valaisannes au sud - This valley is parallel to the ridge of the Bernese alps to the north and the Valais alps to the south
Il s'agit d'une ligne de crête de sept kilomètres - It is a 7km mountain ridge
The word is often used in non-geological contexts too, often to talk about a difficult balance or compromise between two oppositional factors.
It is typically employed in the media to describe policy-making of one kind or another. It can also be used to describe a situation as being on a "knife edge", implying precariousness.
Le gouvernement tente de trouver une ligne de crête entre nécessité pour les Français de recouvrer des libertés et l'éradication du virus - The government is trying to find a balance between the need for French people to regain their freedoms and the eradication of the virus
Sur l'immigration, le chef de l’Etat évolue sur une ligne de crête entre fermeté et humanité - The head of state is walking a fine line between closing borders and humanity on immigration
Les Paradise Papers nous parlent de l’art de surfer sur la ligne de crête de la légalité - The Paradise Papers tell us about the art of surfing on a legal knife edge
Synonyms
Être sur le fil du rasoir - To be on a knife edge
Tout repose sur le tranchant de couteau - Everything is on a knife edge
Tout se joue à un fil - Everything is hanging by a thread
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See Also
Why do I need to know ligne de crête?
Because in the midst of the Covid pandemic, governments around the world are doing their best to find it.
What does it mean?
Ligne de crête, pronounced "leen de cret", literally means the "ridge line" and is often used to describe a series of peaks along a mountain range. In this sense, you would use it like this:
Cette vallée est parallèle à la ligne de crête des Alpes bernoises au nord et des Alpes valaisannes au sud - This valley is parallel to the ridge of the Bernese alps to the north and the Valais alps to the south
Il s'agit d'une ligne de crête de sept kilomètres - It is a 7km mountain ridge
The word is often used in non-geological contexts too, often to talk about a difficult balance or compromise between two oppositional factors.
It is typically employed in the media to describe policy-making of one kind or another. It can also be used to describe a situation as being on a "knife edge", implying precariousness.
Le gouvernement tente de trouver une ligne de crête entre nécessité pour les Français de recouvrer des libertés et l'éradication du virus - The government is trying to find a balance between the need for French people to regain their freedoms and the eradication of the virus
Sur l'immigration, le chef de l’Etat évolue sur une ligne de crête entre fermeté et humanité - The head of state is walking a fine line between closing borders and humanity on immigration
Les Paradise Papers nous parlent de l’art de surfer sur la ligne de crête de la légalité - The Paradise Papers tell us about the art of surfing on a legal knife edge
Synonyms
Être sur le fil du rasoir - To be on a knife edge
Tout repose sur le tranchant de couteau - Everything is on a knife edge
Tout se joue à un fil - Everything is hanging by a thread
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