Mettre la puce à l'oreille

Meaning: To arouse someone's suspicion or make them uneasy about something.

Language: French

Literally: To put the flea in the ear

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: In use since the 15th century, comparing a nagging suspicion to the persistent itch of a flea bite that won't be ignored.

More idioms — Body & Senses

Reprendre du poil de la bête — To recover one's strength or spirit after a setback; to bounce back.
give up the ghost — To die, or to cease functioning entirely.
make a fist of — To accomplish something with reasonable competence or success.
body English — Subtle body movements a person makes to coax a moving object toward a desired direction,…
all mouth and trousers — Full of loud boasting and empty talk, lacking substance or follow-through.
turn on one's heel — To suddenly depart or walk away, often in a dramatic or dismissive manner.

Sortir de ses gonds — To fly into a rage; to lose one's temper suddenly and violently.
Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe — To show up at a completely inopportune, awkward moment.
Jeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain — To discard something valuable while getting rid of what's unwanted.
C'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité — Said when someone criticizes another for a flaw they share themselves; the pot calling th…
allonger pour le compte — To knock someone out in a boxing match; to fell someone.
avancer masqué — To act in a hidden or anonymous way, concealing one's intentions or identity.

Attendre — Actually means 'to wait for'. J'attends le bus = I'm waiting for the bus. For attend an e…
Actuel — Actually means 'current' or 'present-day'. Actuellement = currently — not 'actually'.
Blesser — Actually means 'to wound' or 'to injure'. Je suis blessé = I am injured — not blessed.

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