French Expression of the Day: La Dame de fer
This French expression can be especially misleading for Brits.
Why do I need to know la Dame de fer?
Because history recognises many of these, but in France she has a specific location.
What does it mean?
La Dame de fer – roughly pronounced la dahm duh ferr – translates precisely to ‘the Iron Lady’.
For British audiences, the ‘Iron Lady’ that comes to mind is likely former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.
However for the French, the nickname applies to the Eiffel Tower, made of wrought iron and weighing 10,000 tonnes.
As such, you can imagine some confusion surrounding the 2011 biopic about Thatcher which was titled la dame de fer in French.
France’s Iron Lady has held her nickname since the early 20th century, long before a Russian journalist applied the title to Margaret Thatcher to describe her uncompromising approach to politics.
According to the Eiffel Tower’s official history and culture page, the tower was feminised as the ‘Iron Lady’ in part because of its legs, which appeared to be covered by a skirt.
Use it like this
Vous aurez la chance de voir la Dame de fer briller de mille feux lors de votre voyage à Paris. – You will be lucky if you get to see the Iron Lady sparkle during your trip to Paris.
La meilleure vue de la Dame de fer est, à mon avis, celle que l'on a d'un bateau sur la Seine. – The best view of the Iron Lady is, in my opinion, from a boat on the River Seine.
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Why do I need to know la Dame de fer?
Because history recognises many of these, but in France she has a specific location.
What does it mean?
La Dame de fer – roughly pronounced la dahm duh ferr – translates precisely to ‘the Iron Lady’.
For British audiences, the ‘Iron Lady’ that comes to mind is likely former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.
However for the French, the nickname applies to the Eiffel Tower, made of wrought iron and weighing 10,000 tonnes.
As such, you can imagine some confusion surrounding the 2011 biopic about Thatcher which was titled la dame de fer in French.
France’s Iron Lady has held her nickname since the early 20th century, long before a Russian journalist applied the title to Margaret Thatcher to describe her uncompromising approach to politics.
According to the Eiffel Tower’s official history and culture page, the tower was feminised as the ‘Iron Lady’ in part because of its legs, which appeared to be covered by a skirt.
Use it like this
Vous aurez la chance de voir la Dame de fer briller de mille feux lors de votre voyage à Paris. – You will be lucky if you get to see the Iron Lady sparkle during your trip to Paris.
La meilleure vue de la Dame de fer est, à mon avis, celle que l'on a d'un bateau sur la Seine. – The best view of the Iron Lady is, in my opinion, from a boat on the River Seine.
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