France· hard· informal
ne pas voir l’eau dans le Rhône
“to not see the water in the Rhône”
Meaning
To be a bit simple-minded
Explanation
A Lyonnais put-down for someone who's a bit slow on the uptake or hopelessly naive.
Example
Il a cru que le distributeur donnait de l’argent gratuit ; il ne voit vraiment pas l’eau dans le Rhône, celui-là.
He actually thought the cash machine handed out free money, he's a bit of a simpleton, that one.
Origin
Origin uncertain. It might play on the Rhône's fast, murky current, easy to miss the water right in front of you, but that's speculation rather than anything documented.
Where
Lyon
More like this
- être dans les brouillards du RhôneTo not have been born yet
- prendre le maquisTo go into hiding to escape the authorities
- être fleur bleueto be hopelessly romantic and sentimental
- passer un sapinTo trick someone into a bad deal
- sentir le sapinTo seem close to death
- aller péter dans les fleursTo tell someone to clear off and stop bothering you