October 24, 2008
[Edible Idiom] Boire du petit-lait
This is part of a series on French idiomatic expressions that relate to food. Read the introductory Edible Idiom post, and browse the list of French idioms featured so far.
This week's expression is, "Boire du petit-lait" (sometimes appearing as "Boire son petit-lait").
The literal translation is, "drinking whey" (sometimes appearing as "drinking one's whey") and it means basking in praise or flattery, or taking obvious pleasure in a situation that has turned out to one's advantage.
Example: "Les invités s'accordèrent à dire que c'était la meilleure blanquette qu'ils aient jamais mangée. Derrière son sourire modeste, la maîtresse de maison buvait du petit-lait." "The guests agreed it was the best veal blanquette they'd ever had; underneath her humble smile, the hostess was drinking whey."
Listen to the idiom and example read aloud:
According to these sources, the expression started out in the 16th century as Avaler doux comme lait (swallowing soft as milk). It became boire du lait (drinking milk) in the mid-19th century, and the milk became whey (the literal translation of petit lait is "small milk") in the mid-20th century.
The older expressions likely allude to the rapture with which a baby drinks milk, while the modern usage refers to the fact that whey, a nutritious by-product of cheese-making, used to be considered a treat. It is now, I am told, fed to pigs, which reminds me of another expression, c'est de la confiture pour les cochons (it is jam for pigs, the French version of pearls for swine), but I digress.
Before we part, I should note that this week's idiom is not to be confused with its close cousin, "Ça se boit comme du petit-lait" (it drinks like whey). This one is equivalent to the English expression, "it drinks like water," meaning that an alcoholic beverage is very easy to drink; it is usually implied that said beverage is, therefore, a little treacherous. Example: "Il faut que je me méfie, ce punch se boit comme du petit-lait." "I should be careful, this fruit punch drinks like whey."
More Entries Like This One:
~ Le ver est dans le fruit
~ Ne pas mélanger les torchons et les serviettes
~ La fin des haricots
~ Ca ne mange pas de pain
~ Mettre de l'huile sur le feu
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Comments (18)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in French Idioms - [nopic]
How interesting! I don't think I even knew what whey was! It's funny to look at these expressions and try to figure out where they come from. Makes me want to think about American expressions - there are so many I say without even giving it a thought!
Posted by Tabitha (From Single to Married) on October 24, 2008 12:39 PMJ'aime bien prendre des leçons de français en anglais! Bonne fin de semaine..
Posted by Patrick CdM on October 24, 2008 2:16 PMI'm loving this series Clotilde! My French is serviceable but rudimentary -- and idioms are so mysterious -- thanks!
Posted by Charlotte on October 24, 2008 3:19 PMThanks so much for these edible idiom posts, they're lovely.
Posted by Reuben Morningchilde on October 24, 2008 3:27 PMI think idioms are very insightful and a very colourful way of learning the spirit behind a language.
Most interesting thing is that even though no two languages have the same idiom, they always seem to have idioms for the same thing, like 'not my ballgame' / 'not my onions' / 'not my beer' in English / French / German respectively.
Absolutely fascinating! It's so interesting looking at where expressions came from - what a great series. I'll have to try and add them to my French vocab.
Posted by Tea and adventures on October 24, 2008 4:08 PMIt's also a little like the English saying - The cat that got the cream, as in:
Someone was so pleased with himself that he looked like the cat that got the cream.
Being a lover of both French and the way language is used... I LOVE these!
Posted by Griffin on October 24, 2008 6:40 PMI love, Love, LOVE this series of posts! Decades ago, I was nearly fluent in French and Italian. Twenty+ years (and almost no practice) later...poof! It's gone. I keep promising myself that one day I'll begin anew my language studies. Until that day, I will enjoy these tidbits of francais from you. :)
Posted by Dawn in CA on October 24, 2008 6:46 PM... and if you don't speak any French at all, it helps to understand the transition from "milk" to "whey" to know that "whey" literally translates as "little milk" in French :)
Posted by Charlotte on October 24, 2008 11:34 PMVery interesting! It's always useful to know where sayings come from. And the idiom sounds so much better in French. "Drinking whey" doesn't sound very sexy in English. :)
Posted by Pirouette on October 25, 2008 12:24 AMlook at the interest in french language you inspire! a true teacher!
enough exclamation points, i'm glad you decided to undertake this. it's a good lesson for those of us who are still trying to master french.
Posted by Luke on October 25, 2008 11:02 AMI love this series! If you are taking any requests, will you please explain why mon petit chou, chou is so endearing???
Posted by saucymomma on October 25, 2008 11:19 PMSalut!
Je suis une québecoise qui étudie présentement aux États-Unis.
Je trouve d'ailleurs que tes blogs sont extra!!
As-tu des exemples comment nous devrions utiliser cette expression dans le language de tous les jours?
Posted by Joséphine on October 27, 2008 6:59 AMMerci!
Jo
Joséphine - Il y a un exemple dans le billet, au 4ème paragraphe.
Posted by clotilde on October 27, 2008 8:26 AMYes, "cat that got the cream" is the closest English equivalent I can think of. (Although in my mind that always also implies getting away with something a little naughty. How did that cat come by that cream, anyway?)
Posted by Thriftrix on October 27, 2008 7:47 PMJ'aime beaucoup cette section de ton blog! J'apprend quelque chose en plus en français et en anglais :)
Posted by Elvira on October 28, 2008 10:33 AMThank you for all you do for your readers.
I'd like to know whether French speakers today use this idiom, since in the example you give the passe simple and the pluperfect subjunctive are used-- grammatical constructions in French which are no longer conversational.
Posted by DF on October 29, 2008 1:34 AMDF - Yes, this idiom is also used in conversation by French speakers of today. We might for instance say, pointing to a friend who's being praised, or a politician on television who's just had his policy approved, "Regarde-le, il boit du petit-lait !"
Posted by clotilde on October 29, 2008 8:59 AMUnbeknownst to most, the word "whey" actually does come from « boire du petit lait », because when one "drinks little milk", he or she goes, « Ouaiiiiiiiiiiiiiis ! », hence the word "whey".
Posted by Tarfman on November 8, 2008 10:24 AM