Literal Translation
To take at the foot of the letter
Actual Meaning
To take (something) literally
Etymology
16th Century: ‘to understand something in the strict sense of the words’. It is an allusion to the Bible, in which a letter from the Corinthians highlights the difference between what can be said or written and the real meaning of words, the underlying meaning. Even today, carrying out an order ‘to the letter’ means following it completely, without questioning it. you can also say that someone ‘prend tout au pied de la lettre’ they do not try to interpret words in a deeper sense, on purpose.