Learning French

Guess the French phrase behind this photo clue...

Can you work out which idiomatic expression is depicted below?

Discover this mystery nail-themed French saying

Shutterstock AI

Published Tuesday 02 December 2025 - 13:00 Modified Thursday 18 December 2025 - 13:54

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The French love using idioms in everyday conversations, however these unique sayings can sound completely bizarre when translated literally into English.

It is useful to understand their figurative meaning to avoid confusion when chatting with locals.

This particular example featuring a nail illustrates an expression that you might say to describe the highlight of an event.

Can you guess the French phrase?

Click to show answer

A) Le clou du spectacle (literally: the nail of the show)

Take a look at our handy language guide to find out exactly what this idiom means, how to use it and discover some more fruity expressions.

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