Frais

En être pour ses frais = To have lost one’s money (or, pains) for nothing.

Faire des frais = (lit.) To go to expense; (fig.) To make efforts to please.

Faire ses frais = To cover one’s expenses.

Faire les frais de la conversation = 1. To keep a conversation going. 2. To be (oneself) the subject of conversation.

Français

En bon français = (lit.) In good French; (fig.) In plain English (i.e. without mincing matters).

Parler français comme une vache espagnole = To speak French very badly.

[This is said to be a corruption of comme un Basque espagnol (formerly written Vace). The Basques speak French with a very bad accent, owing to their language having no relation whatever to the Romance tongues.]

Franquette