Writing Checks Your Body Can't Cash

Salut à Tous,

Don't write checks your body can't cash
This expression has a couple of different versions, but this is the "cleanest" of all of them.

I'm looking for a French equivalent if one exists... The context is someone telling someone else that they shouldn't say something/make a promise to do something that they can't back up or they can't come through on.

So literally the idea is derived from don't give out money that you don't have....if you're not good for the money, don't write the check.

also an important version of this to mention that may further help in translating is "don't let your mouth write checks your butt can't cash"

---so once again the idea of don't say something unless you're certain of its credibility.

*often refers to physical consequence, but not always.

I really have no idea how to translate this in any idiomatic sense, only just translating the overall idea--which is not the main thing I'm seeking.

here are some feeble attempts:

ne fais pas une promesse que tu peux pas garder
ne signe pas un contrat que tu ne lisais pas ---similar idea...

merci d'avance!!

Guerric

Bonsoir,

Ne fais pas de promesses que tu ne peux pas tenir.

Ne signe pas un contrat sans l'avoir lu.

Merci,

BUT is there a close idiom that comes to mind excluding the ideas I proposed??

HOWEVER, if you can think of none, do the ones I proposed (once corrected) sound OK? As in, could I say that to someone and they would know what I was trying to express and not just think of it literally?

I think the one about signing a contract more closely mirrors the idea of signing a check than just making a promise which is very generic in usage. Would saying "do not sign a

loan

...." make more sense/sound better in this case?? I wasn't sure when I came up with it....

merci!

Nicklondon

Senior Member

UK English+Frenchy French

« Toutes les entreprises ont la volonté affichée de satisfaire le client, mais comme

il y a loin, parfois, de la coupe aux lèvres. »

ce qui veut dire > il peut y avoir un long chemin entre une promesse et sa réalisation

hmm, I'm not sure though if that captures exactly what I want. That reminds me more of "what you say is not what you do" so if it were following my example it would be like:
"don't say what you can't do" I want something that could possibly incorporate a metaphor.

What about something along the lines of:
don't pledge what you can't honor ???

I guess it's kind of similar to making promises, but the usage of "

pledge

" is a little less common than

promise

in everyday conversation....

xtrasystole

The closest idiom I can think of is 'Ne fais/faites pas de promesses en l'air' (don't make a promise you won't keep), which is very common.

Guerric

Can you give a real context with this phrase? That'd help me find a French equivalent, if such a thing exists.

If someone said "I promise I'll get you the money back by tomorrow, I have a no-fail plan"
You could answer "ne vends pas la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué", but that focuses on the "no-fail plan" rather than on the promise itself.

If someone said "I promise I'll quit smoking, and this 73rd attempt will be the good one"
You could clearly say "ne fais pas de promesse que tu ne peux pas tenir".

OK well I guess that's the closest that I can get to it. Merci!

Can you give a real context with this phrase? That'd help me find a French equivalent, if such a thing exists.

If someone said "I promise I'll get you the money back by tomorrow, I have a no-fail plan"
You could answer "ne vends pas la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué", but that focuses on the "no-fail plan" rather than on the promise itself.

If someone said "I promise I'll quit smoking, and this 73rd attempt will be the good one"
You could clearly say "ne fais pas de promesse que tu ne peux pas tenir".

context: it's often a cautionary statement as in you better not....

one of the most common ones relates to violence:

-" tell everyone, I'm gonna kick that S.O.B.'s ass tomorrow"
-(friend) "don't go writing checks your body can't cash"

Guerric

well...here, the body bit makes sense.
It's relating to his strength/muscles/physical condition or rather his lack thereof.

Ce qui me vient à l'esprit, c'est l'association ramage/plumage de La Fontaine, du style :
On connait ton plumage, alors mesure ton ramage.
Si j'avais ton plumage, je mesurerais mon ramage.

Ou dans un ton plus généralisant/proverbial :
Assure-toi bien que ton plumage se rapporte à ton ramage.

Voir le corbeau et le renard.

Mais bien sûr, cela ne marche que dans un contexte similaire.
Et puis, c'est sûr, ça fait beaucoup plus littéraire...mais ça reste tout de même compréhensible par à peu près tout le monde, vu la popularité de la fable.