French Idioms 100 Common Expressions You’ll Actually Hear

French idioms are where the language gets fun, weird, and occasionally very food-based. One minute you are learning perfectly normal words, and the next someone tells you they have le cafard or asks you to stop tourner autour du pot. No, there is no cockroach involved, and no, nobody is literally circling a pot.

This guide gives you over 100 French idioms that people actually use or at least instantly understand. You will get the French expression, simple pronunciation help, what it means in English, a natural example, and a quick learner note when it helps.

A lot of idioms sound dramatic in French. Honestly, that is part of the charm.

If you want to build your overall French level too, you can start with the French placement test, check your word bank with the French vocabulary test, explore common French slang, laugh your way through popular French jokes, or jump into party idioms in French. For broader lessons, see Learn French.

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How To Read These Idioms

Pronunciation is given in simple English-friendly form. Meanings are the real-life meaning, not always the literal one. Most idioms here are standard France French, but many are understood across the French-speaking world. Some are casual, some neutral, and a few are a little old-school but still common enough to recognize.

Do not translate idioms word for word in your head unless you enjoy confusion as a hobby.

Everyday French Idioms You Will Hear A Lot

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
avoir le cafard	ah-vwar luh ka-far	to feel down, depressed	Depuis dimanche, j’ai le cafard.	I’ve been feeling down since Sunday.	Very common and informal-neutral.
avoir la pêche	ah-vwar lah pesh	to feel great, full of energy	Ce matin, elle a la pêche.	This morning, she’s full of energy.	Positive everyday phrase.
avoir un coup de barre	ah-vwar uhn koo duh bar	to have a sudden energy slump	Après le déjeuner, j’ai eu un coup de barre.	After lunch, I had a sudden slump.	Very useful in daily life.
coûter les yeux de la tête	koo-tay lay yuh duh lah tet	to cost a fortune	Cet appartement coûte les yeux de la tête.	That apartment costs a fortune.	Like “cost an arm and a leg.”
être crevé	etr kruh-vay	to be exhausted	Je suis crevé après cette semaine.	I’m exhausted after this week.	Very common, casual-neutral.
tomber dans les pommes	tom-bay dahn lay pom	to faint	Il a fait si chaud qu’elle est tombée dans les pommes.	It was so hot that she fainted.	Funny literal image; common expression.
être dans la lune	etr dahn lah lun	to be daydreaming, spaced out	Tu es dans la lune aujourd’hui ou quoi ?	Are you spaced out today or what?	Common and conversational.
poser un lapin	po-zay uhn la-pan	to stand someone up	Il m’a posé un lapin hier soir.	He stood me up last night.	Classic dating and friend context.
avoir la flemme	ah-vwar lah flem	to not feel like it, to be too lazy	J’ai la flemme de cuisiner ce soir.	I can’t be bothered to cook tonight.	Very common in spoken French.
se prendre la tête	suh prahndr lah tet	to overthink, stress out, get worked up	Ne te prends pas la tête pour ça.	Don’t stress about that.	Reflexive verb; very useful.
ça marche	sa marsh	that works, okay, sounds good	On se voit à huit heures ? Ça marche.	We’re meeting at eight? Sounds good.	Not always an idiom, but essential natural French.
ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard	sa nuh kas pah trwah pat ah uhn ka-nar	it’s nothing special	Le film était sympa, mais ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard.	The movie was nice, but nothing amazing.	Colorful and common enough to know.

Idioms For Talking About Emotion And Mood

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
avoir le moral à zéro	ah-vwar luh mo-ral ah zay-ro	to feel really low	Après cette mauvaise nouvelle, j’ai le moral à zéro.	After that bad news, I feel really low.	Neutral and common.
avoir le cœur gros	ah-vwar luh kur gro	to feel heavy-hearted	Elle avait le cœur gros en quittant sa famille.	She felt heavy-hearted leaving her family.	A bit more emotional in tone.
être aux anges	etr oh zahnzh	to be overjoyed	Quand il a appris la nouvelle, il était aux anges.	When he heard the news, he was overjoyed.	Very natural.
avoir une peur bleue	ah-vwar uhn pur bluh	to be terrified	J’ai eu une peur bleue quand le chien a aboyé.	I was terrified when the dog barked.	Means extreme fear.
faire la tête	fer lah tet	to sulk, pout	Pourquoi tu fais la tête depuis ce matin ?	Why are you sulking since this morning?	Very common with kids and adults alike.
monter sur ses grands chevaux	mon-tay sur say grahn shuh-vo	to get on your high horse, get worked up	Il est monté sur ses grands chevaux pour un simple retard.	He got on his high horse over a simple delay.	Common enough; slightly vivid style.
avoir les nerfs	ah-vwar lay nerf	to be annoyed, on edge	J’ai les nerfs à cause du bruit.	I’m on edge because of the noise.	Spoken French.
avoir les boules	ah-vwar lay bool	to be upset, gutted	J’ai les boules d’avoir raté le train.	I’m gutted that I missed the train.	Informal; avoid in very formal settings.
être vert	etr ver	to be furious or very annoyed	Elle était verte après cette remarque.	She was furious after that remark.	Color idiom; common.
avoir la rage	ah-vwar lah razh	to be really angry or determined	Il a la rage depuis la défaite.	He’s raging since the defeat.	Can suggest anger or fierce motivation.
avoir le seum	ah-vwar luh seum	to feel bitter, salty, annoyed	Il a le seum parce qu’il n’a pas été invité.	He’s bitter because he wasn’t invited.	Modern slang, very common in speech.
avoir le trac	ah-vwar luh trak	to have stage fright, pre-performance nerves	J’ai le trac avant l’oral.	I’m nervous before the oral exam.	Useful for school and work.

Idioms For Talking About People

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
avoir la main sur le cœur	ah-vwar lah man sur luh kur	to be generous	Elle a la main sur le cœur avec tout le monde.	She’s generous with everyone.	Positive description.
avoir un cœur d’artichaut	ah-vwar uhn kur dar-tee-sho	to fall in love easily	Il a un cœur d’artichaut, il tombe amoureux toutes les semaines.	He falls in love easily; he falls in love every week.	Funny and memorable.
être une tête de mule	etr uhn tet duh mul	to be stubborn	Mon frère est une vraie tête de mule.	My brother is really stubborn.	Very common image.
être une langue de vipère	etr uhn lahng duh vee-per	to be malicious or nasty in speech	Ne l’écoute pas, c’est une langue de vipère.	Don’t listen to her, she has a venomous tongue.	Strong but understandable.
avoir un poil dans la main	ah-vwar uhn pwal dahn lah man	to be lazy	Il ne fait jamais rien, il a un poil dans la main.	He never does anything; he’s lazy.	Casual and common.
être bien dans sa peau	etr byan dahn sa po	to feel comfortable in your own skin	Elle est bien dans sa peau maintenant.	She feels comfortable in her own skin now.	Common in lifestyle talk.
avoir les dents longues	ah-vwar lay dahn lohng	to be very ambitious	Ce jeune avocat a les dents longues.	That young lawyer is very ambitious.	Can be slightly critical.
avoir la grosse tête	ah-vwar lah gross tet	to be big-headed	Depuis sa promotion, il a la grosse tête.	Since his promotion, he’s become big-headed.	Very common.
être un ours	etr uhn oor	to be unsociable	Il est sympa, mais parfois il est un peu ours.	He’s nice, but sometimes he’s a bit unsociable.	Not literally “a bear” in use.
être une bonne poire	etr uhn bon pwar	to be too nice, a pushover	Arrête d’être une bonne poire avec lui.	Stop being such a pushover with him.	Casual and common.
être franc du collier	etr frahnk du ko-lyay	to be straightforward and honest	J’aime bien Paul, il est franc du collier.	I like Paul, he’s straightforward.	A bit old-fashioned but still used.
avoir plus d’un tour dans son sac	ah-vwar plu duhn toor dahn sohn sak	to have more than one trick up your sleeve	Ne t’inquiète pas, elle a plus d’un tour dans son sac.	Don’t worry, she has more than one trick up her sleeve.	Very useful idiom.

Idioms For Work, Effort, And Success

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
mettre la main à la pâte	met-truh lah man ah lah pat	to pitch in, help out	Tout le monde a mis la main à la pâte pour le déménagement.	Everyone pitched in for the move.	Very common and practical.
mettre les bouchées doubles	met-truh lay boo-shay doobl	to step things up, work harder	On doit mettre les bouchées doubles si on veut finir à temps.	We need to step things up if we want to finish on time.	Common in work and school.
faire d’une pierre deux coups	fer dune pyer duh koo	to kill two birds with one stone	En prenant le train de nuit, on fait d’une pierre deux coups.	By taking the night train, we kill two birds with one stone.	Very useful equivalent.
avoir du pain sur la planche	ah-vwar duh pan sur lah plahnsh	to have a lot to do	Cette semaine, j’ai du pain sur la planche.	This week, I have a lot on my plate.	Extremely useful.
faire ses preuves	fer say pruhv	to prove yourself	Elle veut faire ses preuves dans ce nouveau poste.	She wants to prove herself in this new position.	Common professional phrase.
mettre les pieds dans le plat	met-truh lay pyay dahn luh plah	to say something awkwardly blunt	Comme d’habitude, il a mis les pieds dans le plat.	As usual, he blurted out something awkward.	Very common socially and at work.
faire faux bond	fer fo bon	to let someone down, not show up	Le fournisseur nous a fait faux bond au dernier moment.	The supplier let us down at the last minute.	Slightly formal-neutral.
tirer son épingle du jeu	tee-ray sohn ay-pingl duh zhuh	to come out okay, do well in a difficult situation	Malgré la crise, l’entreprise a su tirer son épingle du jeu.	Despite the crisis, the company managed to do well.	Useful in business contexts.
mettre de l’eau dans son vin	met-truh duh lo dahn sohn van	to tone it down, compromise	Il devrait mettre un peu d’eau dans son vin.	He should tone it down a bit.	Common in conflict situations.
être au pied du mur	etr oh pyay du mur	to be cornered, have no choice	On est au pied du mur, il faut décider aujourd’hui.	We’re backed into a corner; we have to decide today.	Very useful idiom.
avoir carte blanche	ah-vwar kart blahnsh	to have free rein	Le chef m’a donné carte blanche pour le projet.	The boss gave me free rein for the project.	Used in English too, but very natural in French.
être sur la bonne voie	etr sur lah bon vwah	to be on the right track	Ton français est sur la bonne voie.	Your French is on the right track.	Not super idiomatic, but common and useful.

Idioms For Problems, Confusion, And Bad Situations

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
être dans de beaux draps	etr dahn duh bo drap	to be in trouble	Si le prof découvre ça, on est dans de beaux draps.	If the teacher finds out, we’re in trouble.	Very common.
être mal barré	etr mal ba-ray	to be off to a bad start, badly headed	Sans réservation, c’est mal barré.	Without a reservation, this is off to a bad start.	Informal spoken French.
ne pas être sorti de l’auberge	nuh pah zetr sor-tee duh lo-berzh	to still have a long way to go	Avec tous ces travaux, on n’est pas sortis de l’auberge.	With all this construction, we’re not out of the woods.	Very useful equivalent.
tourner autour du pot	toor-nay oh-toor du po	to beat around the bush	Arrête de tourner autour du pot et dis-moi la vérité.	Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.	Classic everyday idiom.
chercher la petite bête	sher-shay lah puh-teet bet	to nitpick	Il cherche toujours la petite bête.	He always nitpicks.	Very natural phrase.
être à côté de la plaque	etr ah ko-tay duh lah plak	to be way off, clueless	Sur ce sujet, je suis complètement à côté de la plaque.	On this topic, I’m completely off.	Super common in speech.
faire fausse route	fer foss root	to be mistaken, go the wrong way	Je pense qu’on fait fausse route avec cette stratégie.	I think we’re going down the wrong path with this strategy.	Can be literal or figurative.
mettre la charrue avant les bœufs	met-truh lah sha-rue ah-vahn lay buf	to put the cart before the horse	Tu mets la charrue avant les bœufs en pensant déjà à la déco.	You’re putting the cart before the horse by already thinking about the decorations.	Direct equivalent in meaning.
être au bout du rouleau	etr oh boo du roo-lo	to be at the end of your rope	Après ce mois infernal, je suis au bout du rouleau.	After this hellish month, I’m at the end of my rope.	Strong exhaustion or burnout.
se noyer dans un verre d’eau	suh nwa-yay dahn uhn ver doh	to make a huge deal out of a small problem	Tu te noies dans un verre d’eau, ce n’est pas grave.	You’re making too much of it; it’s not serious.	Common and vivid.
avoir un chat dans la gorge	ah-vwar uhn sha dahn lah gorzh	to have a frog in your throat	Excuse-moi, j’ai un chat dans la gorge.	Sorry, I have a frog in my throat.	Different animal, same misery.
ne pas être dans son assiette	nuh pah zetr dahn sohn ah-syet	to not feel well, to be off	Tu n’es pas dans ton assiette aujourd’hui.	You don’t seem yourself today.	Very useful and common.

Idioms For Speaking, Listening, And Social Life

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
donner sa langue au chat	do-nay sa lahng oh sha	to give up guessing	Je ne trouve pas. Je donne ma langue au chat.	I can’t find it. I give up.	Very common in games and riddles.
avoir la langue bien pendue	ah-vwar lah lahng byan pahn-due	to talk a lot, be sharp-tongued	Elle a la langue bien pendue, impossible de l’arrêter.	She talks a lot; impossible to stop her.	Can be playful or critical.
tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche	toor-nay set fwah sa lahng dahn sa boosh	to think before speaking	Tu devrais tourner sept fois ta langue dans ta bouche avant de répondre.	You should think before answering.	Classic saying.
parler pour ne rien dire	par-lay poor nuh ryan deer	to talk without saying anything	Il a parlé pendant dix minutes pour ne rien dire.	He talked for ten minutes without saying anything.	Handy in meetings, sadly.
raconter des salades	ra-kon-tay day sa-lad	to tell lies, make things up	Arrête de raconter des salades.	Stop making things up.	Casual and common.
avoir entendu parler de	ah-vwar ahn-tahn-doo par-lay duh	to have heard of	J’ai entendu parler de ce resto, mais je n’y suis jamais allé.	I’ve heard of that restaurant, but I’ve never gone there.	Not strongly idiomatic, but highly useful natural phrase.
faire la sourde oreille	fer lah soord oh-ray	to turn a deaf ear	Il fait la sourde oreille quand on lui parle de ménage.	He turns a deaf ear when we talk to him about cleaning.	Common expression.
avoir l’oreille	ah-vwar lo-ray	to have a good ear, especially for music or language	Tu as l’oreille, ton accent s’améliore vite.	You have a good ear; your accent is improving fast.	Useful compliment.
mettre son grain de sel	met-truh sohn gran duh sel	to put in your two cents	Il doit toujours mettre son grain de sel.	He always has to put in his two cents.	Very natural.
avoir quelqu’un dans le nez	ah-vwar kel-kuhn dahn luh nay	to dislike someone for no good reason	Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais elle m’a dans le nez.	I don’t know why, but she has it in for me.	Very spoken.
faire connaissance	fer ko-nay-sahns	to get acquainted	On a fait connaissance au travail.	We met at work.	Common everyday phrase.
avoir un mot sur le bout de la langue	ah-vwar uhn mo sur luh boo duh lah lahng	to have a word on the tip of your tongue	J’ai son nom sur le bout de la langue.	His name is on the tip of my tongue.	Excellent conversation idiom.

Idioms With Food, Animals, And Other French Nonsense

French loves food idioms. It also loves animal idioms. Sometimes it combines both and just trusts you to keep up.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
avoir la banane	ah-vwar lah ba-nan	to feel great, be cheerful	Aujourd’hui, j’ai la banane.	Today, I’m in a great mood.	Casual and upbeat.
avoir du pain sur la planche	ah-vwar duh pan sur lah plahnsh	to have plenty to do	On a du pain sur la planche avant les examens.	We’ve got plenty to do before the exams.	Repeated because it is that useful.
mettre du beurre dans les épinards	met-truh duh burr dahn lay zay-pee-nar	to improve your financial situation	Ce petit boulot met du beurre dans les épinards.	This little job helps make ends meet.	Common enough in everyday speech.
compter pour du beurre	kon-tay poor du burr	to not count, not matter	J’ai l’impression de compter pour du beurre ici.	I feel like I don’t matter here.	Very useful phrase.
rouler quelqu’un dans la farine	roo-lay kel-kuhn dahn lah fa-reen	to fool someone	Le vendeur a essayé de me rouler dans la farine.	The salesman tried to fool me.	Casual and vivid.
faire tout un fromage de quelque chose	fer toot uhn fro-mazh duh kelk shoz	to make a big fuss about something	Il a fait tout un fromage d’un simple retard.	He made a huge fuss over a simple delay.	Very French, very useful.
entre la poire et le fromage	ahn-truh lah pwar ay luh fro-mazh	in an informal relaxed moment, often after a meal	On en a parlé entre la poire et le fromage.	We talked about it in a relaxed moment after the meal.	A bit traditional but still seen.
avoir un chat dans la gorge	ah-vwar uhn sha dahn lah gorzh	to have a frog in your throat	Ce matin, j’ai un chat dans la gorge.	This morning I’ve got a frog in my throat.	Memorable because the animal changes.
quand les poules auront des dents	kahn lay pool oh-rohn day dahn	when pigs fly	Il rangera sa chambre quand les poules auront des dents.	He’ll clean his room when pigs fly.	Funny and common.
donner sa langue au chat	do-nay sa lahng oh sha	to give up guessing	Tu ne sais pas ? Donne ta langue au chat.	You don’t know? Give up.	Repeated because native speakers really use it.
appeler un chat un chat	ah-puh-lay uhn sha uhn sha	to call a spade a spade	Il faut appeler un chat un chat.	We have to call a spade a spade.	Useful for blunt honesty.
manger sur le pouce	mahn-zhay sur luh poos	to grab a quick bite	À midi, je mange sur le pouce.	At noon, I grab a quick bite.	Very common daily phrase.

Idioms For Good Luck, Bad Luck, And Surprise

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
croiser les doigts	krwah-zay lay dwa	to cross your fingers	Je croise les doigts pour ton entretien.	I’m crossing my fingers for your interview.	Same meaning as English.
toucher du bois	too-shay du bwa	to knock on wood	Je n’ai jamais raté ce train, je touche du bois.	I’ve never missed that train, knock on wood.	Very useful everyday expression.
avoir de la veine	ah-vwar duh lah ven	to be lucky	Tu as de la veine d’avoir trouvé ça si vite.	You’re lucky to have found that so quickly.	Common but slightly less basic than avoir de la chance.
pas de bol	pah duh bol	tough luck	Plus de billets ? Pas de bol.	No more tickets? Tough luck.	Informal and very common.
coup de bol	koo duh bol	stroke of luck	On a trouvé une place juste devant, quel coup de bol !	We found a spot right in front, what a stroke of luck!	Spoken French.
ça tombe bien	sa tomb byan	that works out well	Tu es là ? Ça tombe bien, j’ai besoin d’aide.	You’re here? Perfect timing, I need help.	Very common.
ça alors	sa ah-lor	well I never, wow	Ça alors, je ne m’y attendais pas.	Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.	Mild surprise; not too slangy.
en voir de toutes les couleurs	ahn vwar duh toot lay koo-lur	to go through a lot, have a rough time	Avec ce voisin, on en voit de toutes les couleurs.	With that neighbor, we go through all sorts of trouble.	Very useful expression.
tomber de haut	tom-bay duh oh	to be shocked, come crashing down	J’ai appris la vérité et je suis tombé de haut.	I learned the truth and was shocked.	Strong surprise/disappointment.
n’en revenir pas	nahn ruh-vneer pah	to not get over it, be amazed	Je n’en reviens pas qu’il ait gagné.	I can’t believe he won.	Very common spoken phrase.
avoir du nez	ah-vwar du nay	to have good instincts	Tu as eu du nez d’investir si tôt.	You had good instincts to invest so early.	Useful for intuition.
sentir le vent tourner	sahn-teer luh vahn toor-nay	to sense things are changing	Les employés sentent le vent tourner.	The employees can sense things are changing.	Common in politics and work.

Idioms For Money, Value, And Practical Life

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
être fauché	etr fo-shay	to be broke	Je suis fauché jusqu’à la fin du mois.	I’m broke until the end of the month.	Very common and informal-neutral.
ne pas rouler sur l’or	nuh pah roo-lay sur lor	to not be rich	Ils ne roulent pas sur l’or, mais ils s’en sortent.	They’re not rich, but they manage.	Common phrase.
mettre du beurre dans les épinards	met-truh duh burr dahn lay zay-pee-nar	to improve finances	Ce travail d’été met du beurre dans les épinards.	This summer job helps financially.	Repeated because it is common.
valoir son pesant d’or	va-lwar sohn puh-zahn dor	to be worth its weight in gold	Ce conseil vaut son pesant d’or.	That advice is worth its weight in gold.	Very clear equivalent.
faire une croix sur	fer uhn krwah sur	to give up on, write off	On peut faire une croix sur les vacances cette année.	We can write off vacations this year.	Common and practical.
avoir de quoi faire	ah-vwar duh kwah fer	to have enough to keep busy or manage	Avec tout ça, on a de quoi faire.	With all that, we have plenty to do.	Frequent in speech.
faire les fins de mois	fer lay fan duh mwah	to get through the end of the month financially	C’est difficile de faire les fins de mois en ce moment.	It’s hard to make it to the end of the month right now.	Economic everyday phrase.
en avoir pour son argent	ahn ah-vwar poor sohn ar-zhahn	to get your money’s worth	Au moins, on en a pour son argent.	At least we get our money’s worth.	Very useful.
coûter bonbon	koo-tay bon-bon	to cost a lot	Cette réparation va coûter bonbon.	This repair is going to cost a lot.	Casual and colorful.
être à sec	etr ah sek	to be out of money	Je suis complètement à sec.	I’m completely out of money.	Very common spoken French.

Quick Notes On Usage And Register

Informal and super common: avoir la flemme, être crevé, être à côté de la plaque, pas de bol, être fauché.
Neutral and safe in most conversations: faire la tête, croiser les doigts, mettre la main à la pâte, tourner autour du pot.
Slightly slangy or stronger: avoir le seum, avoir les boules, être mal barré.
A little more literary or old-school but still worth knowing: entre la poire et le fromage, être franc du collier, tirer son épingle du jeu.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make With French Idioms

Do not translate English idioms directly. French often has a different image. It is avoir un chat dans la gorge, not a frog.
Watch articles and contractions: dans les pommes, sur le bout de la langue, du beurre, de l’eau.
Some idioms use avoir, where English uses to be: avoir le cafard, avoir le trac, avoir la pêche.
Reflexive forms matter: se prendre la tête, se noyer dans un verre d’eau.
Register matters. Avoir le seum is fine with friends, less ideal in a polite business email unless you enjoy consequences.

Mini Practice: Can You Match The Meaning?

Tomber dans les pommes = faint, not become fruit.
Poser un lapin = stand someone up, not deliver a rabbit.
Tourner autour du pot = beat around the bush, not suspicious cookware behavior.
Avoir la grosse tête = be conceited, not have an actual medical emergency.
Faire tout un fromage = make a big fuss, which is a deeply French way to overreact.

Quick Reference: 10 Idioms To Learn First

avoir la flemme — can’t be bothered
être crevé — to be exhausted
avoir le cafard — to feel down
faire la tête — to sulk
tomber dans les pommes — to faint
poser un lapin — to stand someone up
tourner autour du pot — to beat around the bush
être à côté de la plaque — to be way off
mettre la main à la pâte — to pitch in
croiser les doigts — to cross your fingers

If you learn just those ten first, you will already understand a surprising amount of everyday French conversation.

Yak Takeaway

French idioms are not just decoration. They are part of how real people joke, complain, exaggerate, gossip, panic, and describe being tired for the fifteenth time that week. Learn the common ones first, notice them in context, and use them a little at a time. Soon enough, you will stop translating everything literally and start sounding a lot more natural. Or at least less like a textbook wearing a scarf.