French Expression of the Day: Avoir du pot
This French expression might come in handy if you’ve recently won the lottery.
Why do I need to know avoir du pot?
Because you might want to tell your friend how lucky you were to find a new apartment in Paris without too many challenges.
What does it mean?
Avoir du pot – roughly pronounced ah-vwar due poe – translates exactly to ‘to have the pot (or the jar)’.
In reality, the French phrase has little to do with cooking receptacles, and rather it is a way to describe being lucky.
Another way you might say this in French is avoir de la chance (to have luck) or avoir du bol (another colloquial way of saying that one has luck).
Avoir du pot actually comes from the English word bowl, which in itself is derived from the pre-Celtic word ‘pott’. The expression became popular in the 19th century. At the time, the word pot in French was a slang term for anus and buttocks.
Over time, people went on to say avoir du pot (to have buttocks, or ass in a more vulgar manner) to mean being lucky.
These days, you might hear someone say avoir du cul, using the more modern slang term for ‘ass’, to describe being lucky.
Use it like this
Il a du pot d'avoir gagné à la loterie. – He is lucky to have won the lottery.
Elle a eu du pot que son train n'ait pas été annulé pendant la grève. – She was lucky that her train was not cancelled during the strike.
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know avoir du pot?
Because you might want to tell your friend how lucky you were to find a new apartment in Paris without too many challenges.
What does it mean?
Avoir du pot – roughly pronounced ah-vwar due poe – translates exactly to ‘to have the pot (or the jar)’.
In reality, the French phrase has little to do with cooking receptacles, and rather it is a way to describe being lucky.
Another way you might say this in French is avoir de la chance (to have luck) or avoir du bol (another colloquial way of saying that one has luck).
Avoir du pot actually comes from the English word bowl, which in itself is derived from the pre-Celtic word ‘pott’. The expression became popular in the 19th century. At the time, the word pot in French was a slang term for anus and buttocks.
Over time, people went on to say avoir du pot (to have buttocks, or ass in a more vulgar manner) to mean being lucky.
These days, you might hear someone say avoir du cul, using the more modern slang term for ‘ass’, to describe being lucky.
Use it like this
Il a du pot d'avoir gagné à la loterie. – He is lucky to have won the lottery.
Elle a eu du pot que son train n'ait pas été annulé pendant la grève. – She was lucky that her train was not cancelled during the strike.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.