Cinq habitudes matinales pour un mode de vie optimal

What does “mettre les bouchées doubles” mean in French?

Mettre les bouchées doubles literally means “to take double mouthfuls,” and it means to redouble your effort and work faster — typically to hit a deadline or catch up. The picture is someone wolfing down a meal two bites at a time to save time. It’s the everyday French way to say “step it up” or “double down” on a task without any English borrowing.

The idiom dates to the 19th century: bouchée is the amount you put in your mouth at once, and doubling it meant rushing the meal — the sense slid from quantity to speed. By the 20th century it had moved firmly into work life. Example: “Le projet est en retard, il va falloir mettre les bouchées doubles.” Same kitchen logic powers a goûter or a bouchée à la reine, but here it’s all about hustle.