Skip to main content
PlainSpell

bec et ongles

French, adverb/bɛ.k‿e ɔ̃ɡl/

bec et ongles is a French adverb meaning “tooth and nail, hammer and tongs” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “De toutes ses forces”.

What does bec et ongles mean in English?

adverb

  1. 1

    tooth and nail, hammer and tongs

Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How French dictionaries define it

adverb: 1. De toutes ses forces.

The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.

Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

How do you pronounce bec et ongles?

  • /bɛ.k‿e ɔ̃ɡl/
  • \bɛ.k‿e ɔ̃ɡl\

Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.