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

by de V. Payen-Payne

C’est une bécasse = She is a goose.

Bêcher

Bêcher quelqu’un (fam.) = To pick a person to pieces.

Bénéfice

Sous (or, par) bénéfice d’inventaire = 1. (lit. in a legal sense) Without prejudice. 2. (fig.) Only to a certain point, conditionally, for what it is worth, with a pinch of salt.

[e.g. Il faut croire ce conte sous bénéfice d’inventaire. The origin of the legal phrase arose from the fact that an inheritor is liable for the debts of the deceased only in proportion to his inheritance, which is verified by the inventory. Thus, if the debts are more than the inheritance, a sole heir would decline to inherit at all.

Compare: “Un païen, qui sentait quelque peu le fagot
Et qui croyait en Dieu, pour user de ce mot,
Par bénéfice d’inventaire.”
La Fontaine, Fables, iv. 19.]

Il faut prendre le bénéfice avec les charges = One must take the rough with the smooth.

Bercer