renard rusé
The English phrase "sly fox" is translated into French as renard rusé.
This term is used to describe a person who is artfully cunning, secretly mischievous or wily.
Meaning: person artfully cunning, secretly mischievous, wily (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun renard (fox) and the adjective rusé (cunning/sly).
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female sly fox, both the noun and the adjective must take their feminine forms, resulting in renarde rusée.
Did you know?
- The word renard actually started as a person's name in the medieval poem 'Roman de Renart'. Over time, the character's name became the standard word for the animal itself.
Examples in context
- Je suis impressionné par la façon dont ce renard rusé règle les situations délicates.I am impressed by how this cunning fox handles delicate situations.
- As-tu déjà entendu parler du goupil malin qui trompait tout le monde dans la forêt ?Have you ever heard of the sly fox who fooled everyone in the forest?
- C'est un renard rusé.He is a sly fox.
- Ce petit renard rusé a tout volé.That little sly fox stole everything.
- Il agit comme un renard rusé.He acts like a sly fox.
- Ne te laisse pas tromper par ce renard rusé.Don't be fooled by that sly fox.
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are discussing a coworker who tricked them.
- ChloéIl a encore réussi son coup !He pulled it off again!
- NathanC'est un vrai renard rusé, ce collègue.That colleague is a real sly fox.
- ChloéOn doit faire attention à lui.We must watch out for him.
- NathanTu as raison, Chloé.You are right, Chloé.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries renard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
