Also means
housewarming party
Usage Note
Crémaillère literally means a notched iron bar used to hang pots over a fire at adjustable heights — a fixture of old French hearths. From this comes the common expression pendre la crémaillère, meaning to throw a housewarming party (literally 'to hang the pot-hook'). It also refers to a rack-and-pinion mechanism in engineering.
Examples
"Ils ont pendu la crémaillère dans leur nouvel appartement."
Natural Translation
They had a housewarming party in their new apartment.
Literal Translation
They hung the pot-hook in their new apartment.
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