What Does Avoir Un Poil Dans La Main Mean in French

Avoir un poil dans la main  is a rather common French expression. It means to be extremely lazy, though the literal translation requires a bit of explanation. The Meaning of  Avoir un poil dans la main Avoir un poil dans la main  is pronounced  ah vwah roo(n) pwahl da(n) lah meh(n). It literally means to have a hair in the hand, which doesnt make a lot of sense at first. However, the expression is used to convey that someone is extremely lazy, bone-idle, or, quite simply, a lazybones. When using the expression, do remember that you need to conjugate  avoir  (to have) to match the subject pronoun and tense of the sentence. The phrase falls into Frenchs informal register, meaning it is often reserved for casual conversations with people youre most familiar with. Making Sense of an Odd Expression Though its unclear as to where the expression originated, its often attributed to the late 1800s, if not earlier. The reason this expression refers to laziness likely has something to do with manual labor, which was standard at the time. It also requires an exercise in visualization to get the full picture.   Avoir un poil dans la main  and its accompanying gesture offer a very precise image of a hand that is so idle theres actually a  hair growing out of it.  This is assumed to be because a hand that does not work is not subject to the friction that inhibits hair growth on the palm. The biological facts of how rare hair growth is in the palm calls this into question. And yet, we must also remember that this is something French peasants centuries ago may not have understood. Its also possible that the phrase could be saying that the person is so lazy that he cant be bothered to pluck—or even notice—a hair growing in such a ridiculous place. Other people speculate that a hair is a very personal object which is not to be lost. Therefore, if someone holds something so dear, they cannot possibly open that hand to do any manual labor. Using the Expression in Context How would you use such an odd expression in conversation? Its actually quite easy and can simply be added to express the extent of the laziness youre trying to explain. Depuis le dà ©mà ©nagement, il ne fait rien. Il a un poil dans la main. -  Since the move, he hasnt done anything. Hes a real lazybones. To express even greater laziness, you can take it a step further by increasing the size of the hair. Both of these are common variations on the expression.   Il une queue de vache dans la main.  - He has a cows tail in his hand.Ce nest plus un poil (quil a dans la main), cest une canne  ! or un bambou  ! -  Its no longer a hair (that he has in his hand), its a cane! or a bamboo stick!