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se faire un sang d’encre

The French expression “se faire un sang d’encre” translates literally to “to turn your blood into ink”. This is an idiom which has a meaning that’s impossible to guess. It means:

  • to be worried sick
  • to be worried to death

A French definition is simply “s’inquiéter beaucoup”, which means to worry a lot.

Here’s an example sentence:

  • Jacques faisait de l’alpinisme dans l’Himalaya et quand il n’a pas contacé sa famille apres une semaine, ils se faisaient un sang d’encre. Jacques was mountain climbing in the Himalayas and when he didn’t contact his family after one week they were worried sick.

There are some synonymous expressions:

  • se faire du mauvais sang – Literally “to make bad blood”
  • se faire du souci – Literally “to make worries”

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    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. Recognized for his native-like mastery of the language, David creates clear, structured lessons with native-speaker audio to help students learn French online confidently. He is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and has taught hundreds of learners worldwide. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

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