Learning French

Guess the French phrase behind this photo clue...

Can you work out which idiomatic expression is depicted below?

Discover this mystery cat-themed French saying

Catographer/Shutterstock

Published Tuesday 31 March 2026 - 10:00 Modified Wednesday 15 April 2026 - 17:09

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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 cat illustrates an expression that you might say when someone does not know the answer to a question.

Can you guess the French phrase?

Click to show answer

A) Donner sa langue au chat (literally: to give your tongue to the cat)

Take a look at our handy language guide to find out exactly what this idiom means and discover more French cat phrases.

quiz magazine

Guess the French phrase behind this photo clue...

Can you work out which idiomatic expression is depicted below?

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Can you guess the French phrase?

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