Why do I need to know démarrer sur les chapeaux de roues?
The French will use this expression in different situations to describe speed and haste.
What does it mean?
The French expression démarrer sur les chapeaux de roues, roughly pronounced day-mah-ray soor lay sha-poh duh roo (Listen in French here), translates literally to "to start on the wheel caps".
In English, it means to start something very fast, energetically, often with a lot of intensity or enthusiasm.
A chapeau de roue is the metal cap in the center of a car wheel (hubcap). If a car starts so fast that it almost tilts and you can “see the hubcaps,” it shows the driver accelerated extremely hard.
It is often used with a positive tone, but sometimes it can imply that something is too fast / too intense.
Use it like this
La réunion a démarré sur les chapeaux de roues. - The meeting started at full speed.
Ce début de semaine a démarré sur les chapeaux de roues, c'est beaucoup trop intense. - The beginning of the week started off with a bang, it's way too intense.
La saison touristique démarre sur les chapeaux de roues cette année. - The tourist season is starting off very fast this year.
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