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ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard you have here. The definition of the word
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
French
Etymology
Literally, “to not break three feet of a duck”; because ducks are bipeds, it would be quite out of the ordinary to break a third foot. Another explanation is that it derives from the similar-sounding cagnard (“crooked horse”), in allusion to a horse rider: only a daring rider would risk pushing his horse to the point where it breaks one or more legs.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nə pa ka.se tʁwa pat a œ̃ ka.naʁ/ ~ /nə pɑ ka.se tʁwa pat a œ̃ ka.naʁ/
Verb
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard
- to be nothing to write home about (to be mediocre; to be nothing out of the ordinary; to be nothing special)