IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchPasser maître
Meaning: To become the foremost expert in something.
Literally: To pass master
Example: “En quelques années, elle est passée maîtresse dans l'art du pain au levain.” — In just a few years, she became a master of sourdough baking.
Origin: From the trade guilds of old France. An apprentice was received as a master of the trade (passer maître) only after producing a masterpiece (chef-d'œuvre) judged by the guild, which then allowed him to set up on his own. The phrase was figurative by the 18th century, and Littré notes it is used whether the skill is admirable or not, as when Victor Hugo calls a convict passé maître in the art of climbing walls.
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