Francophonie· hard
pédaler dans la choucroute
“to pedal in the sauerkraut”
Meaning
to get nowhere despite effort
Explanation
This idiom means to be at a complete loss, spinning one's wheels, or working hard but making no progress.
Example
Avec ce problème de maths, je pédale dans la choucroute.
With this math problem, I'm completely lost.
Origin
Linked to the early Tour de France. Exhausted cyclists who couldn't continue would climb into the broom wagon (the sweeper car), which was covered in sauerkraut advertisements. So 'pedalling in the sauerkraut' meant going nowhere.
Source
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