0:00Hello everyone, I hope you are well.
0:03Welcome in this new video where we will see together a French expression.
0:10Before starting, if you need it, as usual,
0:14you can activate the subtitles in French or English.
0:18Today, we're going to look at the expression "avoir les dents longues".
0:26Teeth, that's what you have in your mouth.
0:30To have long teeth, as if they were bigger.
0:34Of course, we don't use this expression literally.
0:38We use this expression in a figurative sense.
0:42You'll see, it's a pretty funny expression when it refers to this very image.
0:49When you talk about someone who has long teeth.
0:53First of all, it's not a very positive thing.
0:57It's a rather pejorative expression.
1:00It's used to talk about someone who is really, really ambitious.
1:06Having ambition is a good thing in life.
1:09But here, when we use this expression, to have long teeth, it is not so positive
1:16because it means a little that we are ready to do anything to succeed.
1:21To achieve one's goals. Often, it is used professionally.
1:26So, we say that someone has long teeth, he
1:29will go far professionally, for example in his company.
1:33Originally, a long, long time ago, I think it was in the 14th century.
1:37This expression, it was mainly used to say that one was hungry.
1:42To have long teeth, it meant that one was hungry.
1:45And little by little, the meaning of this expression was transformed.
1:50Sometimes, in French, we also say that someone is really hungry to say that he is
1:55hungry for success, he is very, very eager to succeed.
2:00So, that's certainly why this expression has been hijacked a bit.
2:06Its use has been modified. Hunger is seen as a metaphor for ambition.
2:13Here's a play-by-play. Jonatan has really got his teeth into it.
2:17He will do anything to succeed in the
2:20company, to get a promotion and become a manager.
2:24He works day and night and is even willing
2:27to speak ill of his colleagues to management.
2:31Sometimes, when we talk about people who have long teeth, but even more than long
2:37teeth, we say in French he has teeth that scratch the floor.
2:43So, in fact, his teeth are so long, they
2:46touch the ground and they make scratches on the ground.
2:51So that's really a very, very, very ambitious person.
2:55It's an extreme, over-the-top ambition. That's it for today.
3:00I hope you enjoyed this video.
3:02Tell me in comments if you have this type of expression in your language, an
3:08equivalent expression, I wish you all a very, very nice day.
3:13And above all, before leaving, don't forget to like the video, if you liked it,
3:18and to subscribe if you are new on the channel. See you soon.