Il ne bat plus que d’une aile = He is almost ruined; He is on his last legs.
Voler de ses propres ailes = To act (or, shift) for oneself.
J’en tirerai pied ou aile = I will get something out of it.
[Idiom derived from carving a bird—to get a leg or a wing off it.]
C’est la plus belle plume de son aile (or, le plus beau fleuron de sa couronne) = It is the finest gem of his crown.
*Qui aime bien châtie bien = Spare the rod and spoil the child.
[Proverbs xiii. 24.]
Aimer quelqu’un comme la prunelle de ses yeux = To love somebody like the apple of one’s eye.