Francophonie· medium
ne faire ni une ni deux
“to make neither one nor two”
Meaning
To act right away without any hesitation
Explanation
Describes someone who decides and acts on the spot, no weighing things up first.
Example
Quand elle a vu le voleur détaler, elle n’a fait ni une ni deux et s’est lancée à sa poursuite.
When she saw the thief bolt, she didn't hesitate for a second and took off after him.
Origin
The dictionary traces it to the late 19th century, possibly from a children's jumping game where you'd shout once as a warning and again as the signal to leap. Either way, the numbers stand for a decision made on the spot rather than mulled over.
Source
More like this
- chercher midi à quatorze heuresto make a simple thing unnecessarily complicated
- mouton à cinq pattesSomething almost impossible to find
- ne pas y aller par quatre cheminsto tackle something directly, with no hesitation
- se mettre en quatreto go to great lengths to help
- se mettre sur son trente et unTo dress in one's finest clothes
- faire d’une pierre deux coupsTo achieve two things with a single action