Découvrir le pot aux roses
Meaning: To uncover a hidden secret.
Language: French
Literally: To discover the pot of roses
Category: Nature
Origin: Debated; possibly from medieval rose-water and cosmetic pots that concealed secrets, the phrase is attested since the 13th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Dutch: Nu komt de aap uit de mouw — literally: Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve
- Hungarian: Kibújik a szög a zsákból — literally: The nail pokes out of the sack
More idioms — Nature
- Once in a blue moon — Very rarely.
- To break the ice — To ease the initial tension in a social situation.
- To give a wide berth — To keep well away from someone or something.
- Echar leña al fuego — To make a bad situation worse.
- Prendere lucciole per lanterne — To be completely and badly mistaken.
- Ficar a ver navios — To be left disappointed and empty-handed.
More French idioms
- Être dans de beaux draps — To be in a real mess.
- Se faire rouler dans la farine — To be conned or deceived.
- Tirer le diable par la queue — To struggle to make ends meet.
- Passer du coq à l'âne — To switch topics abruptly and illogically.
- Avoir le melon — To be bigheaded and conceited.
- Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs — To do things in the wrong order.
From our proverbs
- At a great bargain make a great pause. — Suspiciously good deals warrant careful consideration before committing, as hidden costs…
- The greatest barkers are not always the sorest biters. — Loud boasting and threats rarely indicate genuine power or danger; true strength often ac…
- Sir John Barleycorn is the strongest knight. — Alcohol's intoxicating power surpasses physical strength, making it formidably dangerous…