Arthur Mullen's blog
The French idiom filer un mauvais coton translates literally to, "spinning a bad thread." The word coton actually means cotton, but is understood as thread. A French-to-French definition of the expression is se laisser aller, which means to let oneself go. Here are some French-to-English translations of filer un mauvais coton: to be heading for trouble; to be going downhill; to be in a bad way; to be going to pot.
When someone on our staff accidentally set off the fire alarm during set up and we had to evacuate the building until the Fire Department had given the, 'all clear,' time was lost. Meanwhile at a nearby church, when the guests' wedding ceremony miraculously managed to wrap up more than 20 minutes early, time was crunched. Beware the intersection of lost time and crunch time.
A walk-in couple, who dined at the bar, commented: “Teddy was magnificent. It was a very busy night and yet Teddy continuously went a step beyond our expectations with his service. We love him, and he loves us."
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