taillable et corvéable à merci
French
Alternative forms
- corvéable à merci
- taillable et corvéable
Etymology
Literally to “to be liable to tax and to forced labour at will”. During the Ancien Régime, anyone who is not a clergy or aristocrat – namely, the commoners – had to pay taille (land tax) or do corvée (forced labour).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ta.ja.bl‿e kɔʁ.ve.a.bl‿a mɛʁ.si/
Adjective
taillable et corvéable à merci (plural taillables et corvéables à merci)
- (idiomatic) heavily taxed; enslaved to do onerous work
- (figuratively, humorous) exploitable endlessly; at the beck and call of; at one's bidding
Usage notes
Often preceded by être in a sentence.