French Expression of the Day: Couper l'herbe sous le pied

This is not an act of neighbourly kindness like mowing the lawn usually is.

Because you might have had this happen to you before…or maybe you’ve done it to someone else.

Couper l'herbe sous le pied, pronounced koo-pay lehrb sue luh pee-ay (listen here ), translates to ‘to cut the grass under the foot.’ In reality though, the phrase basically means doing something slightly unfair on underhand with the goal of getting ahead of a rival.

In English you say ‘to pull the rug from under their feet' or 'steal a march' on someone.

While somewhat informal of a phrase, you still might see it in newspapers or in reference to high-profile people, like politicians during elections. For example, if a politician cuts the grass under their opponent’s foot, then that implies they have taken a less-than-fair - although not in any way illegal or breaking any rules - route to advance in the polls.

Historically in French, ‘grass’ has been used in similar contexts to ‘bread’ as a way of discussing a person’s livelihood or earning potential.

The original usage of the term (back in the 14th century) was to refer to green vegetables and salads. So, metaphorically, to take away ‘ l’herbe ’ was similar to taking away someone’s daily bread. It is worth noting that these days, l’herbe can also be used to refer to marijuana, so as with most expressions, remember to keep context in mind.

The current expression, couper l'herbe sous le pied , also bears some similarity to the phrase ‘ couper les vivres ’ (to cut one’s supplies or provisions).

Over time, it has come to mean removing an opportunity from someone, or taking advantage of a situation in order to get ahead, in an often unfair manner.

Juste avant les élections parlementaires, le candidat a coupé l'herbe sous le pied de son adversaire en changeant sa position sur le sujet controversé., Just before the parliamentary elections, the candidate pulled the rug out from under his opponent by changing his position on the controversial topic.

Elle a coupé l’herbe sous les pieds de son collègue pour la promotion en informant subtilement son patron que son collègue cherchait également d'autres emplois., She stole a march on the promotion by telling her boss that her coworker was also looking into other jobs.