This is one French expression which is very important to know : Faire gaffe. Especially if someone says to you ‘Fais gaffe’, you need to open wide your eyes 👁

Faire gaffe Meaning



This is one French expression which certainly comes in handy in every day life as we face life many hazards 🤞
Now what do you think is the signification of this popular French expression in English: let’s have a look at the picture :
a banana 🍌
Somebody walking towards it ! What do you think happens next ?
Two French words :
“faire” = to do
“gaffe” = a mistake
It literally means “to do a mistake” ?!?
And incredibly, if you are walking in the street towards a banana skin, some helpful people might tell you : “Fais gaffe”
To understand this popular French idiom, let’s have a look at its origin
Faire gaffe Origin



The actual “gaffe” comes from the nautical world. It does exactly what it shows on the picture above. The gaffe is a thus long pole with a hook, which allows sailors to catch a mooring buoy, hold on to another boat or push back an obstacle. 😜
But this is not today’s meaning, to understand today’s meaning of ‘faire gaffe’, we need to look at my favourite cartoon character !
Faire gaffe Illustration with a cartoon character



Yes Gaston Lagaffe, as it names indicates is a ‘gaffer’. He is probably the Belgian equivalent of Mr Bean. He does nothing else but blunders all day long !
Yes the first meaning of “faire gaffe” is to make a mistake !
Maybe these people handling the “gaffe” were not that agile after all, maybe this is where this French expression comes from ! 🤣
Faire gaffe Translation in English
I think that a suitable translation for this quite extraordinary French expression would be :
Pay attention, watch out
Faire gaffe
Note that there is a distinction between :
“faire gaffe” = to pay attention
faire une gaffe” = to do a blunder
Faire gaffe French examples



Here you can find a few examples to illustrate this fine French idiom :
Il y a une banane à terre, fais gaffe !
There is a banana skin on the floor, be careful !
Or this way, as an infinitive verb :
N’oublie pas de faire gaffe à ne pas oublier d’apporter les cadeaux pour les invités
Don’t forget to remind yourself to bring presents for the guests
Voilà, this was today’s French idiom in English, I hope you liked it. Click here to find out about the challenge of 50 French idioms in English.
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Please feel free to comment this article, your opinion matters. Click on the green logo on your left to access the comment box straight away !
And I’ll see you next time for more French idioms in English ! 👍🧡
Haha! I love this Lara! Great way to explain a concept that can be confusing when translated literally!
Thank you Emilie. Glad you liked it !
very funny article ! I never did the raw translation and I do get now why it can be misleading 🙂
Thank you Helena !
intéressant! and used very often in oral conversation so that’s a good one to know! 😉
Thank you Sarah !