top cx logo
cx logo
Explorearrow down
search icon

Sécher les cours: A French expression you may hear today

Today marks ‘la rentrée’ in France with over 12 million children returning to school. Here are three school-related French expressions you might hear - but hopefully not!

Learn French words and expressions you may hear in the news today Pic: The Connexion

The expression sécher les cours literally translates as ‘to dry classes’ and means to not attend lessons, to skive school.
It is said to date back to when inkwells were embedded into school tables and so when pupils did not attend class, the ink would be unused and ‘dry up’, inspiring the expression.

Another expression to mean playing truant or bunking off is to aller à l'école bussionnière, which translates literally as ‘to go to school in a bush’ It has its origins in the sixteenth century when Lutheran priests had difficulty preaching in public due to Catholic opposition and resorted to building clandestine schools in surrounding forests and fields to share their teachings. So if you were there you were not in your (usual) school.

Equally, the expression faire le mur - ‘to make or do the wall’ - means to leave a place without permission and is often, although not exclusively, used in the context of playing truant, especially with boarding schools and sneaking out at night. It is an evolution of the much older expression sauter le mur, meaning ‘to jump the wall’. The phrase is also used when speaking of prison escapes or soldiers leaving their barracks against orders.

Related articles

C’est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille: A French expression you may hear today

Dans le vent: A French expression you may hear today

Tous azimuts: A French expression you may hear today

Prendre ses jambes à son cou: A French expression you may hear today

Resident or second-home owner in France?
Benefit from our daily digest of headlines and how-to's to help you make the most of life in France
By joining the newsletter, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
See more popular articles
The Connexion Help Guides
featured helpguide
Income Tax in France 2023 (for 2022 income)*
Featured Help Guide
- Primarily aimed at Britons, covers pensions, rent, ISAs, shares, savings and interest - but also contains significant general information pertinent to readers of other nationalities - Overview of online declarations + step-by-step guide to the French printed forms - Includes updates given automatically after this year's site opened
Get news, views and information from France