faire le gendarme
Meaning: Acting authoritarian or enforcing rules with excessive zeal.
Language: French
Literally: to play the policeman
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Gendarmes represent law enforcement authority and rigid adherence to rules.
More idioms — Daily Life
- irse por los cerros de Úbeda — To digress or wander off-topic during conversation without purpose or reason.
- 소 잃고 외양간 고친다 (So ilkko oeyanggan gochinda) — Taking preventive action only after suffering loss; closing the stable door after the hor…
- 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 (Baekjijangdo matdeulmyeon natda) — Cooperation and teamwork make even difficult tasks easier; many hands make light work.
- работать спустя рукава (rabotat' spustya rukava) — To work carelessly, half-heartedly, without proper effort or attention.
- Φέρνω νερό στο μύλο κάποιου — Unwittingly help someone achieve their own goals while thinking you're working against th…
- att köpa grisen i säcken — To make a purchase or agreement without inspecting or understanding what you're actually…
More French idioms
- avoir des étoiles dans les yeux — Being dreamy, hopeful, or enchanted by romantic ideals.
- faire un couac — Making an embarrassing mistake or producing a discordant sound.
- Quand les poules auront des dents — Never — it describes something that will simply never happen.
- Il y a anguille sous roche — Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
- Ménager la chèvre et le chou — To try to please both sides of a conflict without committing to either.
- Avoir la gueule de bois — To be hungover.