IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchMontrer les dents
Meaning: Displaying aggression, defiance, or readiness to fight.
Literally: To show the teeth
Example: “Quand la direction a voulu baisser les salaires, les syndicats ont montré les dents.” — When management tried to cut wages, the unions bared their teeth.
English equivalent: To bare one's teeth
Origin: A dog or wolf bares its teeth as a warning before it bites, and the phrase applies that warning to people. The Académie française listed the figurative sense in 1762: showing someone your teeth means letting them see you are not afraid of them and can defend yourself. Littré adds an earlier example from Scarron's 17th-century burlesque of Virgil.
Equivalents in other languages
English: bare one's teeth
More French idioms
- Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre Taking more food than one can actually eat; wanting too much.
- Être sur la brèche Being actively engaged in battle or difficult work.
- Manger du bout des dents Eating without appetite or showing disinterest in the meal.
- Avoir une peur bleue Being terrified or extremely frightened of something.
- Être du voyage To come along; to be one of those taking part in a trip or shared undertaking.
- Faire le gendarme Acting authoritarian or enforcing rules with excessive zeal.
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