French Expression of the Day: Mettre les bouchées doubles

This French expression has nothing to do with food...despite what its literal meaning suggests.

A good expression to know if you have a deadline to meet and you're falling behind.

The French expression mettre les bouchées doubles, metr lay boo-shay doobl (listen here ), literally means "to take double mouthfuls".

A bouchée is a mouthful or bite of food. The expression suggests taking bigger or more frequent bites so you can eat faster.

In reality, it means "to step things up", "to work harder" or "put in extra effort". It's used when someone needs to increase their pace or effort to achieve a goal, often because they're short on time.

The word bouchée dates back to the 12th century and simply refers to a mouthful of food - an amount that comfortably fits in your mouth. The expression mettre les bouchées doubles originated in the 17th century, when guests who had fallen behind during long dinners or banquets would speed up by taking larger, "double-sized" mouthfuls to catch up with everyone else. In its literal sense, the expression meant exactly that: to double your mouthfuls.

Although it can still literally refer to eating more quickly, today it is far more commonly used in both personal and professional contexts to encourage someone to put in extra effort or pick up the pace.

Il va falloir mettre les bouchées doubles si on veut finir avant vendredi. - We'll have to step things up if we want to finish before Friday.

Les ouvriers mettent les bouchées doubles pour terminer le chantier. - The workers are working double shifts to finish the construction site.

À l'approche des examens, elle a mis les bouchées doubles. - As the exams approached, she stepped up her efforts.