Provençal expression

À cado còup, li toumbo un uei

Weather and Time

Literal translation

every single time, an eye falls out of him

Meaning

it never happens

Explanation

This expression means that something never happens, through a bodily image pushed to the point of absurdity. Cado còup (every time, còup being a spelling variant of cop, blow, time) sets up the expected repetition, which is then contradicted by the stated consequence : uei (eye) toumbo (falls), from toumba, to fall. Losing an eye every single time is plainly impossible, which flips the expression's meaning into an absolute negation : saying something happens a cado còup li toumbo un uei amounts to saying it never happens at all. The pronoun li, meaning him here, is a very common regional form, modelled on its Provençal equivalent, which can refer to a person, a place, or a moment. The expression is typically used in reply to a claim of every time, as in every single time he tells the truth, an eye falls out of him, mocking the supposed frequency of a fact through the absurdity of the proposed penalty. The register is familiar and outright comic.

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Other expressions on the same theme

Agué lou bàti-bàtito have one's heart racing Data de l'an pebreto date back a very long time Es un gros mau-gracioushe's a grumpy, unhelpful sort L'ouro dei broussoa very late hour La verita a coumo l'òli, revèn toujou dessusthe truth always rises to the surface in the end Lou tèms de tua un ai à còup de figo/de poungan extremely long time, an eternity