Remporter la palme

Question:

How do I translate Remporter la palme into English?

Answer:

The expression remporter la palme (literally, to carry off the palm) is a reference to Roman times when athletes or gladiators were given palm branches to mark a victory. There are some slight variations of this popular expression, namely, remporter la palme d'or (golden palm leaf) and, more rarely, emporter la palme.

Although there are numerous possibilities, we'll list only the most frequently used English equivalents: beat the competition, be number one, be the best, be victorious, come out on top, finish first, triumph, win, win out, win the prize.

For example,

• notre équipe de hockey remporte la palme de façon constante
  our hockey team consistently beats the competition (comes out on top, finishes first)
• le Canada remporte la palme pour la qualité de vie de ses citoyens
  Canada is number one for quality of life of its people
• de tous les postulants, Samira remporte la palme
  of all the applicants, Samira is the best
• Joe remportera sûrement la palme dans la course de 500 mètres
  Joe is sure to be victorious in the 500-metre race
• concurrencer les meilleurs du monde et remporter la palme
  compete with the best in the world and triumph
• il a remporté la palme lors du débat télévisé
  he won in the televised debate
• notre équipe remporte la palme par rapport à la créativité et à l'originalité
  our team wins out in terms of creativity and original thinking
• notre ministère a remporté la palme trois années de suite
  our department won the prize three years in a row

Keep reaching for the top!