Why do I need to know être charrette?
This French expression is widely used in professional student contexts, especially in fields where people work to tight deadlines.
What does it mean?
The expression être charrette, roughly pronounced eh-truh sha-ret, translates literally to "to be cart". Sounds strange right? In reality, in modern French, it means to be extremely busy, rushed or under pressure because you have a deadline approaching.
The expression dates back to 19th-century Paris, to the architecture students of the École des Beaux-Arts (art school). At the time, architecture was taught there alongside three other disciplines - painting, sculpture and engraving.
As part of their studies, future architects had to complete a series of individual or group projects, often within very tight deadlines. On the day the project was due, the school would send an employee around to collect the students’ work from their homes. As they made their rounds, they would load the drawings and models onto a handcart, or charrette. This helped reduce the risk of fragile pieces being damaged or lost on the way to the school.
But the students were often still working right up until the deadline, trying to squeeze in a few extra minutes to perfect their projects. Those who were particularly behind could find that the charrette had already left without their work. They would then have to find a cart themselves and make their way to the school carrying their work.
The expression être charrette is now used well beyond architecture to describe anyone who is rushed off their feet trying to get something finished on time.
Use it like this
Je suis complètement charrette cette semaine. - I’m completely snowed under this week.
Désolé, je ne peux pas sortir ce soir, je suis charrette. - Sorry, I can’t go out tonight, I’m under pressure with work.
On est charrette pour boucler le projet avant vendredi. - We’re rushing to finish the project before Friday.
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