Idiomatic Expressions??

Could someone please tell me the meaning of these phrases;

I know the usual meaning of all the words but cannot make sense of the phrases

1- Parler à bâtons rompus

2- Dire avec des charbons

3- Aller à franc étrier

4- Protéger quelque uns contre le milan qui plane sur eux

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Permalink Reply by Neil Coffey on September 4, 2010 at 6:36am

(1) Essentially means something like "To talk about things that aren't connected to one another", "To talk without there being a particular strand to one's conversation". (Can't just think of a good English phrase, but that's the idea...)
(2) I'm honestly not sure. Anybody else know?
(3) I think this is an old-fashioned phrase essentially meaning "at full gallop" (or some equivalent horsey expression in English basically meaning "as fast as the darned horse will take you"). I guess in current parlance one would say "hell for leather", only I don't think the phrase "à franc étrier" is really used any more.
(4) I thiiiiink the idea is something like "Shield somebody from the watchful eye of their boss/the law/other person hovering over them". But I confess I'm not 100% sure.

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Permalink Reply by Fereshteh on September 10, 2010 at 3:21pm

Thanks Neil. They all make perfect sense in the context. I am guessing 'dire avec des charbons de quelqu'un' could mean to say in so and so's words or style . Can charbon mean pencil or some writing instrument?