Francophonie· medium· old-fashioned
peigner la girafe
“to comb the giraffe”
Meaning
To waste time doing pointless tasks
Explanation
Describes performing a long, tedious, and completely useless task or wasting time on unproductive activities.
Example
Le gardien du jardin passait ses journées à peigner la girafe au lieu de travailler.
The garden keeper spent his days doing pointless tasks instead of working.
Origin
Probably dates to 1827 when Zarafa, the first giraffe in France, arrived at the Jardin des Plantes as a gift to King Charles X. A keeper accused of idleness supposedly claimed he'd been 'combing the giraffe.' Documented in George Delesalle's 1896 argot dictionary.
Source
More like this
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