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French · Romance & Rejection

Se prendre un râteau

suh prahndr uhn rah-TOH · /sə pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ ʁa.to/

To get shot down / rejected (romantically)

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"To take/get a rake"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

You made a move, they said no, and — like stepping on a rake — it smacks you in the face. Clean, vivid, everyday. Entirely printable and genuinely useful for describing dating misfortune with a bit of self-deprecating humour.

Heard in the wild

Je l'ai invitée à dîner et je me suis pris un râteau.

I asked her to dinner and got shot down.

Where it lands

France (universal)

Quick answers

What does "Se prendre un râteau" mean?
In French, "Se prendre un râteau" means "To get shot down / rejected (romantically)". Literally it's "To take/get a rake". You made a move, they said no, and — like stepping on a rake — it smacks you in the face. Clean, vivid, everyday. Entirely printable and genuinely useful for describing dating misfortune with a bit of self-deprecating humour.
Is "Se prendre un râteau" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "Se prendre un râteau"?
Say it "suh prahndr uhn rah-TOH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: sə pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ ʁa.to.

Related in French

Casse-toi ! kass TWAH Get lost! / Beat it! / Piss off! Va te faire foutre ! va tuh fair FOOTR F*** off! / Go f*** yourself! Quel lourd ! kel LOOR What a creep / What a pest Baiser bay-ZAY To f*** / screw (also: to swindle someone) Draguer dra-GAY To hit on / chat someone up C'est chaud / Elle est chaude say SHOH Dicey/risky — or, of a person, up-for-it (careful)

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Tough luck".

how to say "Tough luck" →how to say "Shot down" →

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