À bâtons rompus
Example: Nous avons discuté à bâtons rompus toute la soirée.
Definition
"À bâtons rompus" is a French expression used to describe a conversation or discussion that is informal, irregular, and without a strict order or structure, often jumping from one topic to another freely, as in "Nous avons discuté à bâtons rompus toute la soirée."
Translations
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Informally -
De manera informal -
Vrijuit -
Sense formalitats -
Ganz ungezwungen
Etymology
The phrase "À bâtons rompus" literally means 'with broken sticks' and originally referred to a style of fencing or fighting where the sticks were broken or irregular. Over time, it came to metaphorically describe conversations that are uneven, scattered, or lacking a fixed pattern, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the exchange.
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"À bâtons rompus" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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