ne rien branler
What does “ne rien branler” mean in English?
It means to do absolutely nothing or to laze around. The literal translation is 'not shake anything.'
Literally “not shake anything”
It's similar to saying 'not doing shit' in English and is used informally. While it can be coarse, it's typically not sexual in this context.
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Related French words
ne rien foutre
3/5 · VulgarIt means to do nothing or to avoid working altogether. It's a colorful way to express laziness or idleness.
avoir des couilles
3/5 · VulgarIt means to have courage or nerve. The literal translation refers to having testicles, but it's not about anatomy here.
baiser comme des lapins
3/5 · VulgarThis phrase means to have sex very frequently, drawing a comparison to rabbits known for their high reproductive rates.
casser les couilles
3/5 · VulgarIt means to annoy or bother someone intensely. The literal translation refers to breaking testicles, but it's typically used figuratively.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.