Francophonie· easy

avoir la chair de poule

to have chicken flesh

Meaning

To get little bumps on the skin

Explanation

Your skin puckers up in little bumps, just like a plucked chicken, when you're cold, scared, or genuinely moved by something.

Example

Ce film d'horreur m'a donné la chair de poule du début à la fin.

That horror film gave me goosebumps from start to finish.

Origin

It started as 17th century medical language, when 'chair' (flesh) was the word for skin. The bumps that rise on cold or frightened skin look just like a plucked chicken, and the phrase eventually left the doctor's vocabulary for everyday use.

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