Example: Il faut être au pied de la lettre pour réussir cet examen complexe.
Definition
"Être au pied de la lettre" means to follow instructions, rules, or statements exactly as they are written or said, without interpreting or adding personal meaning. It emphasizes strict adherence to the literal wording, as in doing something exactly as required to succeed.
Translations
To take literally
Tomar al pie de la letra
Letterlijk opvatten
Prendre al peu de la lletra
Wörtlich nehmen
Etymology
The phrase "Être au pied de la lettre" originates from a time when legal and official documents were followed precisely to the letter, with 'pied' meaning 'foot' and 'lettre' meaning 'letter' of the alphabet. Did you know? It literally means 'to be at the foot of the letter,' implying close and exact attention to the written word.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Être au pied de la lettre" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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To take literally