jeter quelqu'un sous les roues du bus
The phrase "throw someone under the bus" is translated into French as jeter quelqu'un sous les roues du bus.
This phrase is used to describe betraying a friend or colleague by blaming them for something to save oneself from trouble.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the word quelqu'un (someone) acts as a placeholder for the person being betrayed and must be replaced by a specific person or a direct object pronoun (e.g., le jeter for "to throw him").
Did you know?
- While jeter quelqu'un sous les roues du bus is understood, French speakers traditionally use faire le bouc émissaire, which means 'to make someone the scapegoat'.
- The verb jeter is a linguistic relative of the English word 'jet', as both originate from the Latin 'iactāre', meaning to throw or cast.
- Because this phrase is a direct translation from English, some French purists view it as a 'calque', which is a loan translation that imports a foreign image into the language.
