manu militari
n.— «Le Pen, 78, was first out of the box. During a candidates’ forum last week in Paris organized by Elle magazine, Le Pen, who describes himself as antiabortion, said he opposed the free distribution of condoms in schools. Instead, “for those who feel the urge, I suggest the manu militari,” he said, using a Latin phrase as a euphemism for masturbation. “It’s a much simpler method.”» —“In French Campaign, A Flurry of Faux Pas” by John Ward Anderson Washington Post Apr. 12, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A Francophone who’s feeling low might say so with J’ai le moral dans les chaussettes. The idiom avoir le moral dans les chaussettes means “to have morale in your socks.” This is part of a complete episode.
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