French Idioms and Proverbs / A Companion to Deshumbert's "Dictionary of Difficulties"

by de V. Payen-Payne

Échéant

Le cas échéant = Should such a thing happen; If such should be the case.

Échelle

Faire la courte échelle à quelqu’un = To allow some one to climb on one’s shoulders to scale a height; To give a lift to some one.

Après lui il faut tirer l’échelle = One cannot do better than he has (or, does); He beats the record, takes the cake.

École

Faire l’école buissonnière = To play truant.

Faire une école = To make a blunder.

Faire école = To found (or, to be a leader of) a school of art, literature, music, &c.

Écolier