Hello everyone! I hope you are well. I am super happy to be back with you today for a new episode of the Français Authentique podcast. Last week, we saw the expression " avoir plusieurs cordes à son arc ". If you haven't listened, think about doing so when you have a moment. Today's expression is "rester en travers de la gorge". It is a very common expression in French, which is used very often.
Before you start, remember to take advantage of the back-to-school promotions on our courses , because they're almost over, and come start learning French with us. If you want to know more, click on the link in the description and you'll have more information about these promotions and the different courses you can access.
Here we go. We continue with the explanation of the words of our expression of the day.
So the first word is the verb "to remain", which means to continue to be somewhere, not to change place.
Next, “across,” which means to be in a transverse position relative to the axis of something.
And finally, the throat. The throat is the inner part of the neck.
As for the meaning of the expression, well, the expression goes back to the Middle Ages. At that time, when someone was suspected of having sinned, they were subjected to the ordeal, that is to say, to the judgment of God by the natural elements. For example, plunging one's hand into the fire, walking on embers, etc. And so, if the accused survived the ordeal, it was because he was innocent. So, one of the ordeals consisted of stuffing the accused with cheese and bread. If he choked, if a piece remained stuck in his throat, it was proof that he was guilty.
And in 1258, ordeals were banned. However, the expression remained but with a completely different meaning. From now on, when something sticks in our craw, it is not because korea whatsapp number data we are guilty, but because we have suffered an injustice. So, in fact, it means, it means something that we do not forgive, that we cannot accept. So, when you say that something sticks in your craw, it is something that you cannot let go, it is something that you cannot forgive, that you cannot accept, because you consider this thing to be an injustice, to be an abomination that you will never accept.
As usual, I'll give you three examples so you can contextualize the meaning of the expression.
First example: "His remarks about my weight stick in my craw. I still haven't forgiven him." So, here, we understand that a person made a remark to another person about their weight and the person does not accept this remark and says that as a result it sticks in their craw, that they do not accept this kind of comment and, basically, that it is not done and that they do not forgive them.
Second example: "Her dismissal stuck in her craw. She was fired for a trivial mistake, when she had done so much for this company." So, here, we are talking about a person who was fired from her job and who ultimately does not accept it. This dismissal stuck in her craw. She does not accept this dismissal, she does not forgive what was done to her because she finds it unfair.
Third example: "My husband criticized me in front of his whole family. His attitude stuck in my craw." So, here, we see that it is a husband who allowed himself to make remarks, to criticize the person in front of his whole family and, therefore, this person does not accept her husband's criticism and she says that it stuck in her craw and that she does not forgive him.
That's it for the three examples. I hope that this has helped you understand a little better, to contextualize a little better and to see in which situations we use this kind of expression. We will now move on to a little pronunciation exercise. We will use the verb "rester", which is used with the auxiliary être + the pronoun COI. So, I will pronounce sentences and I will let you repeat after me.