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ficelle

string

noun fee-SELL Rare

Also means

thin baguette

Usage Note

Ficelle literally means thin string or twine. It is also the name of a very thin baguette. Figuratively, connaître les ficelles means 'to know the tricks of the trade'. The expression tirer les ficelles ('to pull the strings') describes someone who controls others from behind the scenes.

Examples

"Elle attache le paquet avec une ficelle."

Natural Translation

She ties the package with a string.

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