IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchS'attirer les foudres de quelqu'un
Meaning: To bring down someone's wrath on oneself.
Literally: To draw someone's thunderbolts
Example: “En critiquant l'arbitre, l'entraîneur s'est attiré les foudres de la fédération.” — By criticizing the referee, the coach got on the wrong side of the federation.
English equivalent: To get on the wrong side of someone
Equivalents in other languages
English: get on the wrong side of
Origin: The thunderbolts are Jupiter's, the standard classical instrument of divine displeasure. Using them of a manager or a ministry is deliberately outsized.
More French idioms
- Faire partie du Gotha To belong to the highest society.
- Des goûts et des couleurs on ne discute pas There is no arguing with personal preference.
- Mettre le grappin sur quelque chose To get one's hooks into something and not let go.
- De gré ou de force Willingly or unwillingly; one way or another.
- Le Grenelle de quelque chose A large multi-party negotiation convened to settle a national issue.
- C'est de l'hébreu It is completely incomprehensible.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Bête comme ses pieds Really not very bright.
- Avoir un poil dans la main To be incurably lazy.
- Tête de linotte A scatterbrain who can't hold a thought.
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