French Expression of the Day: Être dans les choux
Don't worry this French expression is not just for gardening.
Why do I need to know être dans les choux?
Because you might want another expression to help you complain in French.
What does it mean?
Être dans les choux – usually pronounced eh-truh dahn lay shoe - translates to be in the cabbages. In practice, the phrase is used to describe being in a bad or unfortunate situation.
If you’re in trouble - for whatever reason that may be: your team is losing, you’ve been feeling sick, you did something embarrassing, you can tell someone you are ‘dans les choux.’ As this phrase is simply intended to signal you are in a bad position, it can also be used to reference interpersonal relationships. In English, if you get in trouble with someone, you might be able to say you're in the doghouse. In this scenario, you could also use the French phrase 'dans les choux.'
Similar to other cabbage-related expressions, like faire chou blanc, this phrase goes back to the 19th century and shockingly does not actually have any vegetable origins. In fact, it comes from the word ‘echouer’ which means “to fail” in French, which was shortened in the expression to simply be ‘choux’.
Use it like this
Je n'ai pas pu dormir de la nuit à cause de ma migraine. J'étais vraiment dans les choux. – I could not sleep all night because of my migraine. I was really in a bad position.
Nous étions dans les choux vendredi soir. On a passé 4 heures coincées dans les embouteillages pour aller à la plage. – We were in an awful position Friday night. We spent four hours stuck in traffic on the way to the beach.
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Why do I need to know être dans les choux?
Because you might want another expression to help you complain in French.
What does it mean?
Être dans les choux – usually pronounced eh-truh dahn lay shoe - translates to be in the cabbages. In practice, the phrase is used to describe being in a bad or unfortunate situation.
If you’re in trouble - for whatever reason that may be: your team is losing, you’ve been feeling sick, you did something embarrassing, you can tell someone you are ‘dans les choux.’ As this phrase is simply intended to signal you are in a bad position, it can also be used to reference interpersonal relationships. In English, if you get in trouble with someone, you might be able to say you're in the doghouse. In this scenario, you could also use the French phrase 'dans les choux.'
Similar to other cabbage-related expressions, like faire chou blanc, this phrase goes back to the 19th century and shockingly does not actually have any vegetable origins. In fact, it comes from the word ‘echouer’ which means “to fail” in French, which was shortened in the expression to simply be ‘choux’.
Use it like this
Je n'ai pas pu dormir de la nuit à cause de ma migraine. J'étais vraiment dans les choux. – I could not sleep all night because of my migraine. I was really in a bad position.
Nous étions dans les choux vendredi soir. On a passé 4 heures coincées dans les embouteillages pour aller à la plage. – We were in an awful position Friday night. We spent four hours stuck in traffic on the way to the beach.
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