IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchSe croire le premier moutardier du pape
Meaning: To have a wildly inflated sense of one's own importance.
Literally: To think oneself the pope's chief mustard-maker
Example: “Depuis qu'il est chef d'équipe, il se croit le premier moutardier du pape.” — Since he became team leader, he's gotten too big for his britches.
English equivalent: Too big for one's britches
Other ways to say this
- French: Avoir la grosse tête Literally: To have a big head
- French: Avoir le melon Literally: To have the melon
Estonian: Nina püsti käima Literally: To walk with your nose up
Albanian: I rri gjel dikujt Literally: He stands like a rooster to someone
Swedish: styv i korken Literally: Stiff in the cork
English: too big for one's britches- French: Se croire sorti de la cuisse de Jupiter Literally: To think oneself born from Jupiter's thigh
- English: have a big head
Origin: The post was real: the Avignon popes, and John XXII in particular, kept a mustard-maker on the household staff. The joke is that it is simultaneously a papal appointment and a job making mustard.
More French idioms
- Entre le marteau et l'enclume Caught between two opposing forces with no way out.
- Un pavé dans la mare A revelation or intervention that disturbs a settled situation.
- Il y a de l'orage dans l'air Trouble is brewing.
- Rouler sur l'or To be enormously wealthy.
- Valoir son pesant d'or To be extremely valuable.
- Manu militari By force; with physical compulsion.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Épanouissement The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Keep exploring