Expression française expliquée : avoir les dents longues
A2 French luyện nghe · Tiếng Pháp Pháp · Phù hợp với người mới bắt đầu
What does “avoir les dents longues” mean in French?
To “avoir les dents longues” is to be so hungry for success you’ll do almost anything to get there. It’s not a compliment: the phrase carries a faint warning of someone elbowing rivals aside, working day and night and angling for the promotion at any cost. Think “out for blood” rather than simply driven — ambition with the teeth showing.
The image started literal. Back in the 14th century, in times of famine, “avoir les dents longues” just meant being starving — so hungry your teeth seemed to grow. The predatory edge of bared teeth pushed it toward devouring ambition. French even pushes the picture further: someone hyper-ambitious “a les dents qui rayent le parquet” — teeth so long they scrape the floor.