What does “mettre les bouchées doubles” mean in French?

Mettre les bouchées doubles literally means “to take double mouthfuls,” and it means to redouble your effort and work faster — typically to hit a deadline or catch up. The picture is someone wolfing down a meal two bites at a time to save time. It’s the everyday French way to say “step it up” or “double down” on a task without any English borrowing.

The idiom dates to the 19th century: bouchée is the amount you put in your mouth at once, and doubling it meant rushing the meal — the sense slid from quantity to speed. By the 20th century it had moved firmly into work life. Example: “Le projet est en retard, il va falloir mettre les bouchées doubles.” Same kitchen logic powers a goûter or a bouchée à la reine, but here it’s all about hustle.