French Expression of the Day: Rester de marbre
Don't worry, this expression is not just for sculptors.
Why do I need to know rester de marbre?
Because you might need to describe your colleague who never laughs at your jokes.
What does it mean?
Rester de marbre – pronounced rest-ay duh mahr-bruh - translates as ‘to remain marble,’ which is the material used for sculpture-making and sounds like it might refer to staying still as a statue, but in practice, this phrase actually means to be cold or closed off, and to not show any emotion.
In English, you might say this person has a poker face, as their emotions are unreadable.
Originally, the phrase did come from sculpture and statue-making. It first appeared in the 17th century, when people instead used the expression froid comme marbre meaning “cold as marble,” referring to how the stone itself is cold, hard and solid. Later, in the 18th century, the expression became rester de marbre, but it kept the original idea of denoting a person’s emotional coldness.
Use it like this
L'employée de la banque, qui reste normalement de marbre, a eu du mal à ne pas être émue par les histoires des familles qui ont perdu leur maison dans l'incendie. – The bank teller, who normally shows no emotion, found it difficult not to be moved by the stories of families who lost their homes in the fire.
Quand il m'a critiqué, je n'ai pas réagi, je suis resté de marbre. Peut-être pensait-il que c'était impoli, mais je ne voulais pas donner de réaction. – When he criticised me I did not react, I kept a poker face. Maybe he thought that was rude, but I did not want to give a reaction.
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Why do I need to know rester de marbre?
Because you might need to describe your colleague who never laughs at your jokes.
What does it mean?
Rester de marbre – pronounced rest-ay duh mahr-bruh - translates as ‘to remain marble,’ which is the material used for sculpture-making and sounds like it might refer to staying still as a statue, but in practice, this phrase actually means to be cold or closed off, and to not show any emotion.
In English, you might say this person has a poker face, as their emotions are unreadable.
Originally, the phrase did come from sculpture and statue-making. It first appeared in the 17th century, when people instead used the expression froid comme marbre meaning “cold as marble,” referring to how the stone itself is cold, hard and solid. Later, in the 18th century, the expression became rester de marbre, but it kept the original idea of denoting a person’s emotional coldness.
Use it like this
L'employée de la banque, qui reste normalement de marbre, a eu du mal à ne pas être émue par les histoires des familles qui ont perdu leur maison dans l'incendie. – The bank teller, who normally shows no emotion, found it difficult not to be moved by the stories of families who lost their homes in the fire.
Quand il m'a critiqué, je n'ai pas réagi, je suis resté de marbre. Peut-être pensait-il que c'était impoli, mais je ne voulais pas donner de réaction. – When he criticised me I did not react, I kept a poker face. Maybe he thought that was rude, but I did not want to give a reaction.
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