French Expression of the Day: Tiré par les cheveux

Why do I need to know tiré par les cheveux?

Because you might need an expression to describe how you feel when your favourite TV show goes down a ridiculous rabbit hole that makes no sense

What does it mean?

Tiré par les cheveux– usually pronounced tear-ay pahr lay shuh-vuh - literally translates to taken or pulled by the hair.

In English this expression either means to come to something very reluctantly, or to express exasperation 'pulling your hair out', but in French to be pulled by the hair has a totally different meaning.

It refers to something that is far-fetched, hard to believe, or non-credible.

This expression first came into use at the beginning of the 17th century, and its meaning is quite literal - the act of pulling someone by their hair means they are forced into doing something or going somewhere. When used metaphorically, the idea is that an idea that is ‘pulled by the hair’ is one that is forced into an illogical or strange direction that does not make much sense, as if pulled into the direction that just suits the person doing the pulling. 

You might see this expression used when someone is describing a particularly unbelievable or forced movie plot, or perhaps when a friend is giving an excuse that does not make logical sense.

And tiré par les cheveux is not the only hair-related expression in French: there are others, like “saisir l’occasion aux cheveux,” which means to seize an opportunity as soon as it presents itself.

Use it like this

Cet argument est encore plus tiré par les cheveux…Ça n'a pas de sens.– That claim is even more far-fetched. It does not make any sense.

La plupart des gens n'ont pas aimé la fin du Trône de Fer. Elle semblait un peu tirée par les cheveux et ne semblait pas suivre les scénarios préexistants. – Most people did not like the end of Game of Thrones. It felt a bit far-fetched and it did not seem to follow the pre-existing plotlines.