Learning French
What does avoir les jambes en coton mean and when should it be used?
We look at why people in France compare their legs to a variety of soft and squishy materials when tired out
This is a metaphor for when your legs feel as though they will give way
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What does avoir les jambes en coton mean?
It literally translates as: to have legs made of cotton.
This phrase is used when someone feels weak, due to illness or exhaustion, and does not have the strength in their legs to stand up or keep moving.
Depending on who you are talking to, some French-speakers will replace coton with other squishy nouns such as compote (fruit purée), guimauve (marshmallow), bouillie (pulp), or pâté de foie (liver pâté).
In English you might hear people comparing wobbly legs to feeling like jelly, and heavy legs to feeling like lead.
Avoir les jambes en coton can also be used to describe a general drop in energy.
A similar expression in French is se sentir flagada (to feel soft) from the verb flaquer (to drop) linked to the Latin flaccus (to hang down).
What are the origins of avoir les jambes en coton?
It is thought to date back to the mid-19th Century and was used by French writer Stendhal in his 1839 novel La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma):
“En tombant de cet arbre, Fabrice se démit presque le bras gauche. Il se mit à fuir vers le rempart, mais, à ce qu’il dit, ses jambes lui semblaient comme du coton ; il n’avait plus aucune force.”
(When he fell from the tree, Fabrice nearly dislocated his left arm. He fled towards the ramparts, but, according to him, his legs felt like cotton; he had no strength left.)
The expression stems from the image of cotton being a very soft and flimsy material - and is compared to the feeling of weak, sore, and fatigued leg muscles.
When do you say avoir les jambes en coton?
Say this when your legs feel weak and unsteady:
To whom do you say avoir les jambes en coton?
It is neutral language that can be said in a range of contexts to people you know very well, like friends and family, as well as people who are less familiar, like colleagues or strangers.
There is no risk of offending anyone by using this phrase.
If you would like us to explain a particular word or expression, or if you have any other Learning French suggestions, let us know at: feedback@connexionfrance.com
