Belgium· medium· informal
battre le beurre
“to beat the butter”
Meaning
to fumble around without making progress
Explanation
Belgian for flailing about and getting nowhere, like churning cream that never quite turns into butter.
Example
Il a battu le beurre pendant une heure avant de comprendre la consigne.
He floundered around for an hour before understanding the instructions.
Origin
Comes from the kitchen: beating cream into butter takes a long time and might not work at all, a fitting image for effort that goes nowhere.
Source
More like this
- avoir un œuf à peler avec quelqu’unTo have a score to settle with someone
- chou vert et vert chouTwo things presented as different but actually the same
- ne pas avoir toutes ses frites dans le même sachetTo not be quite right in the head
- aller à la moutardeTo get told off
- arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupeTo turn up at the worst possible moment
- avoir de la bouteilleTo have plenty of experience