taillable et corvéable à merci

French

Alternative forms

• corvéable à merci
• taillable et corvéable

Etymology

Literally, “liable to tax and to forced labor at will”. During the Ancien Régime, anyone who was not clergy or an aristocrat, namely, the commoners, had to pay taille (land tax) or do corvée (forced labor).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ta.ja.bl‿e kɔʁ.ve.a.bl‿a mɛʁ.si/ ~ /tɑ.ja.bl‿e kɔʁ.ve.a.bl‿a mɛʁ.si/

Adjective

taillable et corvéable à merci (plural taillables et corvéables à merci)

1. (idiomatic) heavily taxed; enslaved to do onerous work
2. (figurative, humorous) exploitable endlessly; at the beck and call of; at one's bidding

Usage notes

• Often used predicatively.