Welcome to Expressions bien de chez nous! This week we are looking at an expression for the lucky ones: rouler sur l’or. Whether you have too much money or not nearly enough, this French expression has something to say about it. Let’s dig in.

Where does “rouler sur l’or” come from?

Your first instinct might be to picture a car driving down a golden road, since rouler can indeed mean “to drive” in French. But that is not where this expression comes from.

Rouler sur l’or evolved from an older 17th century expression that became popular in the 18th century: se rouler sur l’or. The image is much more physical than a car journey. Think of rolling in the grass, tumbling freely from side to side. Now replace the grass with gold. The person who can roll around in piles of gold is, by definition, someone with an extraordinary amount of it.

Gold has always been a symbol of wealth and power, and this expression captured that perfectly. Over time, the se dropped away and the shorter rouler sur l’or became the standard form used in everyday French today.

What does it mean?

Rouler sur l’or means to be very wealthy, to have no financial worries whatsoever. If someone roule sur l’or, they are rolling in money: they do not lack for anything and have more than enough.

What makes this expression particularly useful is that it works just as well in the negative. Ne pas rouler sur l’or means to be short of money, to be going through financial difficulties. The same image of rolling in gold, simply flipped: instead of abundance, there is nothing to roll in at all.

Some examples

You have not seen one of your friends at recent gatherings. You ask around and nobody has much to say, until one friend mentions: “Il roule sur l’or maintenant, c’est pour ça qu’on ne le voit plus trop.” You are not sure what to make of it, until the next day you spot him pulling up in a very luxurious car.

“Il roule sur l’or maintenant.”
He is rolling in money these days.

Now for the negative form. Your cousin has recently moved out of her parents’ home and has not found a job yet. She calls to ask if you can lend her some money. You do not hesitate for a second, and the next day you explain to a friend why:

“Je ne pouvais pas la laisser comme ça, surtout qu’elle ne roule pas sur l’or en ce moment.”
I could not leave her like that, especially since she is not exactly flush with money right now.

The expression also appears in French literature. In Pot-Bouille by Émile Zola, a character says:

“Je l’ai rencontrée et je n’ai pas pu lui refuser la main… d’autant plus qu’elle ne roule pas sur l’or la pauvre fille.”
I met her and I could not refuse her my hand… especially since the poor girl is not exactly rolling in gold.
Émile Zola, Pot-Bouille

Keep exploring French expressions

One of the great pleasures of learning French is discovering how much history and imagination is packed into everyday expressions. Rouler sur l’or is a perfect example: a 17th century image of rolling in gold that is still very much alive in modern French conversation. Do you know an equivalent expression in your own language?

Explore more of these colourful turns of phrase in our French expressions from Bordeaux series. And if you want to use them naturally in conversation, our French language courses in Bordeaux will give you plenty of opportunities to practise. You can also test yourself with our online quizzes on French expressions.

The best way to absorb French as it is really spoken is to live it. Come and discover the language through our cultural activities in Bordeaux and experience the city that inspired so many of these expressions.

Channel Trotters: French in Bordeaux