Learning French
Learning French: the origins and meaning of ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou
Use this saying to describe someone who is bald
When should you use this pebble-based expression?
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This informal phrase may confuse French learners the first time it pops up in conversation. Why would a pebble possibly have hair growing out of it?
We explain what this ‘pebble’ really represents and look at how to use the expression in real-life situations.
What does ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou mean?
It literally translates as ‘to not have a hair on the pebble’ but is actually used to say that someone does not have any hair on their head - they are bald.
An equivalent English saying is: to be as bald as a coot.
Sometimes the word pas (not) is replaced by plus (no longer).
A related expression is ‘avoir un caillou dans la chaussure’ which literally means: to have a pebble in your shoe. It can be used in a figurative sense to say that something is irritating you, much like the English phrase: to have a thorn in your side.
How to say ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou?
Starting with the word poil, this should be pronounced phonetically as: pwal.
Caillou, with its many vowel sounds, is a bit more difficult to say. Whenever you come across a double ‘L’ in French, it should be replaced with a ‘y’ sound, like this: k-ah-y-oo.
What are the origins of ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou?
This expression is thought to have appeared in the 20th Century and may have stemmed from the popular cartoon character called Caillou.
Caillou initially appeared in a series of children’s books (of the same name) created by Canadian authors Hélène Desputeaux and Christine L'Heureux, then becoming an animated TV show.
The character was originally illustrated without any hair as he was just nine months old. As the years passed and Caillou grew up, publishers found that adding hair made him unrecognisable, so it was decided that he would remain bald.
“Caillou’s baldness may make him different, but we hope it helps children understand that being different isn’t just okay, it’s normal,” states Chouette Publishing on their website.
Alternatively, the phrase could simply be a metaphor comparing a bald head to a smooth pebble.
When do you say ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou?
Say this to describe someone who is bald:
To whom do you say ne pas avoir un poil sur le caillou?
It is an informal phrase that can be used with friends and family and should be avoided in any highly professional situations.
