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

by de V. Payen-Payne

[Compare: “Votre montre retarde de dix minutes” = Your watch is ten minutes slow.]

Cela m’avance bien! (ironic.) = What good is that to me?

Vous voilà bien avancé! (ironic.) = Here you are in a pretty mess! What good have you gained by that?

Je n’en suis pas plus avancé = I am none the wiser (or, nearer).

Avant

Vous allez trop avant = You are going too far.

Ils sont arrivés bien avant dans la nuit = They arrived very late at night.

Avare

*A père avare, enfant prodigue = A miserly father has a spendthrift son.