Alliance Française Raleigh-Durham-Chapel-Hill
Menu icoMenu232Dark icoCross32Dark
<
>
  • Lost in Translation
  • E-Library - Culturethèque
  • Frantastique
  • Raleigh Accueil
  • Photo Gallery

Add a logo, a button or social media links

Edit
icoFacebook24Color icoTwitter24Color icoYoutube24Color icoLinkedin24Color icoInstagram24Color icoPinterest24Color
  • Alliance Française Raleigh-Durham-Chapel-Hill
  • Alliance Française Raleigh-Durham-Chapel-Hill
  • About Us ▴▾
    • Home
    • Who we are
    • Board & Staff
    • Contact Us
  • Learn French ▴▾
    • Group Classes
    • Specialty Classes
    • 2023 Summer Schedule
    • 2023 Spring Schedule
    • Private Tutoring
    • Class Registration
    • Placement Test
    • French Textbooks
  • TEF Certification ▴▾
    • TEF Certification
    • PrepMyFuture!
    • TEF Registration
  • Events ▴▾
    • Upcoming Events
    • 2023 Haiku Contest
    • Club Ados
    • Newsletters
  • Membership ▴▾
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer
  • Donate ▴▾
  • Resources ▴▾
    • Lost in Translation
    • E-Library - Culturethèque
    • Frantastique
    • Raleigh Accueil
    • Photo Gallery
  • Log in
  • Home
  • Who we are
  • Board & Staff
  • Contact Us
  • Group Classes
  • Specialty Classes
  • 2023 Summer Schedule
  • 2023 Spring Schedule
  • Private Tutoring
  • Class Registration
  • Placement Test
  • French Textbooks
  • TEF Certification
  • PrepMyFuture!
  • TEF Registration
  • Upcoming Events
  • 2023 Haiku Contest
  • Club Ados
  • Newsletters
  • Become a Member
  • Volunteer
  • Lost in Translation
  • E-Library - Culturethèque
  • Frantastique
  • Raleigh Accueil
  • Photo Gallery
Lost in Translation E-Library - Culturethèque Frantastique Raleigh Accueil Photo Gallery
Back
À la queue leu leu

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our newsletter
icoCross16Dark

À la queue leu leu

The poetry of those words!  They are a favorite of preschoolers.  But you will also hear them in the long lines of traffic that characterize French life during strike season - which invariably coincides with the holiday season.  However, it is most often associated with happy occasions and the song of the same name. You will hear the song played around France at the end of every festive event from New Year’s Eve to weddings, when even the most staid and stuffy gets a little tipsy, and everyone ends up snaking around the room in a merry conga line.

À la queue leu leu means in a single file, one after another, whether litterally or figuratively.  It is synonymous with en file indienne - in Indian line - which offers a nice visual but not much of an excuse for chanting on top of one's lungs.

Which begs the question: who came up with à la queue leu leu?  A circle of kindergarten poets?  A Sunday rapper in desperate need of alliterations?

Origin

We have to go further back in time to find out.  It all started in the 11th century: in old French, you could happily do without an article. That is how à la queue leu leu is short for "à la queue du leu le leu".  In other words: "At the tail of the leu is the leu."  Still a tad obscure, you might think.  Everything becomes clearer when you know that le leu was old French for le loup - the wolf.  The expression's original meaning is therefore at the tail of the wolf (is) a(nother) wolf.

As everyone knows, wolves travel one behind another, with an alpha male in front cutting a path for the rest of the pack.  In winter, moving through the snow in this manner saves energy for everyone behind.  It is also a strategy observed in most mammals and other species, from birds to caterpillars.  The leader is believed to know where to go and be better apt at detecting danger.

Wolves once roamed in large numbers throughout Europe and held a special place in popular culture. They were mostly feared, as we can see in many children’s tales - hence their near extinction in the 19th century.  It is therefore quite likely that the original expression might have been a warning, as in: "Beware, a wolf might hide another wolf!"  So much for an invitation to get silly and dance.

Examples

Dans le passé, les enfants devaient être à la queue leu leu pour entrer dans leurs salles de classe.
In the past, children had to line up to enter their classrooms.

Le pont est étroit.  Nous devons nous mettre à la queue leu leu pour le traverser.
The bridge is narrow.  We have to cross it one behind the other.

storage?id=2941359&type=picture&secret=53u9TOxmxZ5ORVJsfHwh8h8VqCKygq1S3qLmUBp5&timestamp=1672254882
icoFacebook35Color icoTwitter35Color icoLinkedin35Color
icoFacebook35Color icoTwitter35Color icoLinkedin35Color
See also
Ne pas manger de ce pain-là

Ne pas manger de ce pain-là

Translated literally as, not eating that kind of bread, this expression means refusing to act in...

June 7, 2023
Tiré par les cheveux

Tiré par les cheveux

This somewhat painful expression literally translates to pulled by the hair.  You'll often hear...

April 5, 2023
Appuyer sur le champignon

Appuyer sur le champignon

Do you often dream of stepping on the gas when you drive?  Then this common vegetable expression...

March 14, 2023
Faire la pluie et le beau temps

Faire la pluie et le beau temps

Wouldn't you feel powerful if you could control the weather?  Faire la pluie et le beau temps -...

Claire BARTHELEMY
February 20, 2023
Pour des prunes

Pour des prunes

Une prune is a plum - not to be confused with un pruneau, a prune.  While this lovely fruit is...

January 17, 2023
Alliance Française of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
5510 Munford Road, Raleigh, NC 27612
frenchallianceraleigh@gmail.com
More
  • Contact Us
icoFacebook24Color icoTwitter24Color icoYoutube24Color icoLinkedin24Color icoInstagram24Color icoPinterest24Color
  • Site map
  • Licenses
  • Legal notice
  • T&C
  • Configure cookies
  • Log in
  • Powered by Springly, created with 💙 for organizations everywhere