IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchRetourner l’estomac
Meaning: To disgust or sicken someone, to make them feel nauseous.
Literally: To turn over the stomach
Example: “L'odeur du poisson oublié dans le coffre m'a retourné l'estomac.” — The smell of the fish forgotten in the trunk turned my stomach.
English equivalent: To turn one's stomach
Equivalents in other languages
English: turn one's stomach
Origin: Disgust is felt as a physical upheaval, as if the stomach turned over the way it seems to in nausea. French has several close variants built the same way, such as soulever le cœur (to lift the heart). No particular story lies behind the phrase, which applies equally to a smell in a car trunk and to an injustice.
More French idioms
- N’avoir qu’à bien se tenir A warning or threat implying that one must behave properly or face consequences.
- Battre les fourrés To range far and wide in search of adventure or chance encounters.
- Recoller les morceaux to repair a broken relationship or reconcile after a quarrel.
- Brûler ses dernières cartouches to exhaust one's final resources or use one's last arguments in desperation.
- Ne pas tourner rond to be unwell or not functioning properly.
- Passer un mauvais quart d’heure to experience a brief but unpleasant or distressing moment.
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