FrenchJ'en passe, et des meilleurs
Meaning: Said to cut a list short while hinting that the unnamed items are even more remarkable than those mentioned.
Literally: I'm skipping some, and better ones
Example: “Il a raté son train, oublié son passeport, perdu sa valise… j'en passe, et des meilleurs.” — He missed his train, forgot his passport, lost his suitcase… and that's not the half of it.
English equivalent: And that's not the half of it
Equivalents in other languages
English: and that's not the half of it
Origin: From Victor Hugo's play Hernani (1830). In Act III, Don Ruy Gomez walks the disguised King Carlos past the portraits of his ancestors, praising each one, until he breaks off with "J'en passe, et des meilleurs" — he is skipping some, and the best of them at that. Because Hugo meant the ancestors, the agreement is masculine: "des meilleurs," though the feminine "des meilleures" is often seen. The line escaped the theater and became a stock way to end a list, often ironically.
More French idioms
- Pendre au nez de quelqu'un To be bound to happen to someone, usually something unpleasant and often as the result of…
- C'est l'exception qui confirme la règle Said of a case that breaks a general rule, usually to suggest that the rule still holds;…
- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard It's nothing special or impressive.
- C'est comme pisser dans un violon A completely pointless effort.
- Avoir le cafard To feel depressed or down.
- Poser un lapin To stand someone up on a date.
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