This French expression doesn’t mean you’re playing pool.
Why do I need to know passer sur le billard?
This French expression is widely used when referring to medical needs.
What does it mean?
The expression passer sur le billard, roughly pronounced pa-say sur luh bee-yard (listen here), literally translates “to go on the billiard table” but in reality this has nothing to do with the game itself. The French expression actually means “to get surgery” or to go “under the knife”. The word billard (billiard) serves as a figurative representation of the operating table.
There are several theories about the origin of this expression. In the 19th century, surgeries were often performed at home rather than in hospitals. Surgeons needed a flat, stable surface large enough for the patient to lie on, and many wealthy upper-class households owned billiard tables, which provided an ideal surface for carrying out medical procedures.
Another theory dates back to 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. The back room of a café, where a billiard table was placed, was reportedly converted into a makeshift hospital. This was intended for the wounded from the Battle of Sedan.
Meanwhile, in 1834, Dr Louis Alexandre Billard may have been the one to popularise the phrase passer sur le billard. To provide dental care to his patients, he invented a rocking chair with adjustable height. In reference to his last name, it was called the Billard chair. It quickly became an indispensable piece of equipment for all dental offices.
And in the early 20th century, World War I may have been another historical source of the expression passer sur le billard. Some soldiers compared no man’s land, the zone between two enemy lines, to a pool table. Soldiers could be treated on the spot, even though the location wasn’t ideal. In the event of death, the expression rester sur le billard was used.
Use it like this
Je me fais opérer demain, je passe sur le billard. – I’m getting an operation tomorrow, I’m going under the knife.
Il va falloir passer sur le billard, cette blessure est trop grave. – You will need surgery; this wound is too deep.
Je ne suis jamais passé sur le billard, et je n’espère jamais en avoir besoin. Ça me fait peur ! – I have never had surgery and hope to never need it. It scares me!
