IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchPorter la culotte
Meaning: To be the one who makes the decisions in a household.
Literally: To wear the breeches
Example: “Dans ce couple, c'est clairement elle qui porte la culotte.” — In that couple, she's clearly the one who wears the pants.
English equivalent: To wear the pants in the family
Equivalents in other languages
English: wear the pants in the family
Origin: From the period when breeches were exclusively male dress, so a woman wearing them signified an inversion of expected authority. It is said of women almost exclusively, which is the whole of its point.
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- Après moi le déluge What happens once I am gone is not my problem.
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