IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchLaver son linge sale en famille
Meaning: Keep internal disputes private.
Literally: To wash one's dirty linen within the family
Example: “Ne racontez pas vos disputes aux voisins ; on lave son linge sale en famille.” — Don't tell the neighbors about your fights; don't wash your dirty linen in public.
English equivalent: Don't wash your dirty linen in public
Origin: Attributed to Napoleon, addressing the Corps législatif (the legislative body) in 1800 on the subject of public criticism. English inverted the emphasis and warns against airing dirty laundry in public.
More French idioms
- Pleurer comme une Madeleine To cry copiously and without restraint.
- Une madeleine de Proust A small sensory trigger that unlocks a flood of memory.
- Avoir maille à partir avec quelqu'un To have a quarrel or a bone to pick with someone.
- Faire main basse sur quelque chose To seize something wholesale.
- S'en laver les mains To disclaim all responsibility for an outcome.
- Tout le saint-frusquin The whole lot; everything one owns.
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