Home › Idioms

beurrer épais

Meaning: To exaggerate or overdo something.

Language: French

Literally: to butter thick

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: The phrase draws on the image of spreading butter thickly and extravagantly, evoking excess and overstatement.

More idioms — Food & Drink

  • pousser les feux — To intensify effort or energy; to redouble one's exertions to achieve a goal.
  • curva de la felicidad — excess abdominal fat; a protruding belly caused by overeating or drinking.
  • cuentas de la lechera — plans or hopes based on fantasy rather than reality; wishful thinking that ignores practi…
  • arroz con mango — a chaotic, confused mess or pandemonium.
  • sacar las castañas del fuego — to rescue someone from a difficult situation or to solve a problem at one's own risk or e…
  • tener su miga — To have hidden depth or complexity; to be more complicated than it appears.

More French idioms

  • mettre ses deux mains au feu — To stake one's reputation or safety by guaranteeing something is true.
  • tendre les bras — To offer help and support to someone, or to welcome them warmly.
  • retourner à la case départ — To find oneself back where one began, as if no progress had been made.
  • sentir la naphtaline — To be old-fashioned or antiquated.
  • passer maître — To become the foremost expert in something.
  • plumer la poule sans la faire crier — To extract money or advantage from someone so skillfully that they do not complain or res…

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…