Home › Idioms

Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu'un

Meaning: To talk behind someone's back.

Language: French

Literally: To break sugar on someone's back

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: French expression from the 18th century.

More idioms — Food & Drink

  • faire ses choux gras — Profiting greatly from a situation at someone else's expense.
  • manger ses paroles — Having to take back or admit one was wrong about something said.
  • mettre l'eau à la bouche — Making someone crave or desire something through temptation.
  • tremper son biscuit — Engaging in a brief romantic or intimate encounter.
  • faire la soupe à la grimace — Complaining or grumbling about something constantly.
  • avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre — Taking more food than one can actually eat; wanting too much.

More French idioms

  • Jeter de l'huile sur le feu — To make a bad situation worse.
  • Faire d'une pierre deux coups — To kill two birds with one stone.
  • Faire d'une mouche un éléphant — To make a mountain out of a molehill; to exaggerate wildly.
  • avoir des fourmis — Experiencing a tingling or prickling sensation in a limb losing circulation.
  • être sur des charbons ardents — Being extremely anxious or impatient about something.
  • avoir un chat dans la gorge — Having difficulty speaking due to hoarseness or a sore throat.

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…