Literal translation
he pulls the devil by the tail
Meaning
he's struggling to make ends meet
Explanation
This expression, transparent between Provençal and French, describes a person living in financial hardship, constantly struggling to make ends meet. The word rendered as pulls literally means a pull, a stroke, or even a rope used to lead an animal; paired with devil, a well attested word, it gives the image of a fierce struggle where one clings, quite literally, to the demon's tail, an absurd and perilous gesture undertaken out of desperation. The last word, tail, can also mean confused, dazed, sheepish, or even the demonstrative this depending on context, but it is the literal sense of an animal's appendage that applies here, in keeping with the devil image. To pull the devil by the tail is thus to labour at a task both futile and risky in order to wrest some resource from a hostile financial situation. The register is casual, marked by a wry resignation.