IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchSainte Nitouche
Meaning: A woman who feigns innocence she does not have.
Literally: Saint Touch-Not
Example: “Elle joue les saintes nitouches devant les profs, mais c'est elle qui a lancé la bataille d'eau.” — She acts as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth in front of the teachers, but she started the water fight.
English equivalent: Butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
Other ways to say this
Japanese: 猫をかぶる (Neko wo kaburu) Literally: To wear a cat on your head- French: On lui donnerait le Bon Dieu sans confession Literally: You would give him the Lord without confession
English: butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
Origin: There is no such saint — the name is a contraction of n'y touche, as in the phrase une sainte n'y touche, one who looks as though she would never touch anything. The invented canonization is the sarcasm.
More French idioms
- Tuer dans l'œuf To stop something before it can develop.
- À pied d'œuvre On site and ready to begin.
- S'occuper de ses oignons To mind one's own business.
- Pousser des cris d'orfraie To protest with theatrical outrage.
- Un ouvrier de la onzième heure A latecomer who receives the same reward as those who did the work.
- La paille et la poutre Noticing a small fault in others while ignoring a large one in oneself.
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