IdiomFood & DrinkFrench

Beurrer épais

Meaning: (Quebec French) To exaggerate or overdo something.

Literally: To butter thick

Example: “Il a beurré épais en racontant sa rencontre avec le ministre.” — He laid it on thick when he told the story of meeting the minister.

English equivalent: To lay it on thick

Equivalents in other languages

Origin: A Quebec French expression. In Quebec beurrer means spreading anything on bread, jam as well as butter, and spreading it thick is putting on far more than is needed. Applied to talk, it means exaggerating or flattering heavily. Wiktionnaire suggests possible influence from English "to lay it on thick," which uses the same image of a coat applied too generously, but the link is not confirmed.

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