Tout à coup
Example: Tout à coup, il a commencé à pleuvoir très fort.
Definition
"Tout à coup" is a French expression meaning suddenly or all of a sudden. It is used to describe an event or action that happens quickly and unexpectedly, often without warning, as in the example where it suddenly started raining heavily.
Etymology
The phrase "tout à coup" comes from the combination of French words meaning 'all' (tout), 'at' (à), and 'blow' or 'stroke' (coup). It literally translates to 'all at a blow,' capturing the suddenness of an event. Did you know that this phrase vividly conveys the idea of something happening as if struck by an unexpected blow?
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"Tout à coup" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 107 commonly used expressions.
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