Se regarder le nombril
Meaning: To be self-centered or narcissistic.
Language: French
Literally: To stare at one's own navel
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: No source dates the phrase itself with any confidence — what is well documented instead is the symbolism it draws on. The navel marks the point of attachment to the mother for nine months before birth, which already makes it a natural emblem of self-origin. Vitruvius, writing on architecture, described the human body as naturally centered on the navel: arms and legs spread to their full extent trace a circle whose middle point falls exactly there. That reading — the navel as literal center of a person — is old enough and widespread enough (it turns up in Buddhist thought too) that a person who can only look at their own navel is, quite precisely, a person who has made themselves the center of everything.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- Tomaten auf den Augen haben — To be oblivious to what's right in front of you.
- Die Daumen drücken — To wish someone good luck (like crossing fingers).
- 口が滑る (kuchi ga suberu) — To accidentally let something slip.
- No tener pelos en la lengua — To speak very bluntly and honestly.
- Tomar el pelo — To pull someone's leg; to tease.
- Avere le braccine corte — To be stingy; to never reach for the check.
More French idioms
- Avoir le cul entre deux chaises — To be indecisive, caught between two options.
- Mettre son grain de sel — To give an unsolicited opinion.
- Les carottes sont cuites — It's too late, nothing can be done.
- Casser les pieds à quelqu'un — To annoy or bore someone greatly.
- Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre — To want to have it both ways.
- Noyer le poisson — To confuse the issue deliberately; to dodge a question.