IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchEst-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo ?
Meaning: Mind your own business — a retort to an intrusive question.
Literally: Am I asking you whether your grandmother rides a bike?
Example: “« Tu sors avec qui ce soir ? — Est-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo ? »” — "Who are you going out with tonight?" "None of your beeswax."
English equivalent: None of your beeswax
Other ways to say this
- French: S'occuper de ses oignons Literally: To mind one's own onions
English: none of your beeswax
Origin: The reply works by answering an impertinent question with one of perfect irrelevance, and the absurdity is the argument. It is recorded from the early 20th century and remains entirely current.
More French idioms
- Veiller au grain To stay alert for trouble.
- Tomber des hallebardes To rain extremely hard.
- L'été indien A spell of unseasonably warm weather in autumn.
- La partie émergée de l'iceberg The small visible portion of a much larger problem.
- Faire flèche de tout bois To use every available means to achieve an end.
- Blanchir sous le harnais To grow old in a profession.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Trop de zèle gâte tout Too much eagerness ruins things.
- Mieux vaut être tête de chien que queue de lion It is better to lead something small than to follow in something great.
- Goutte à goutte, l'eau creuse la pierre Small, constant efforts achieve great results.
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