FrenchS'occuper de ses oignons
Meaning: To mind one's own business.
Literally: To mind one's own onions
Example: “Tu veux savoir combien je gagne ? Occupe-toi de tes oignons !” — You want to know how much I earn? None of your beeswax!
English equivalent: None of your beeswax
Other ways to say this
- French: Est-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo ? Literally: Am I asking you whether your grandmother rides a bike?
English: none of your beeswax
Origin: Despite its innocent look, the onion here is slang for the backside: Wiktionnaire dates the phrase to 1946 and derives it from that sense of oignon. Minding one's onions is minding one's own private parts, and so one's own business; the same idea gives the retort c'est pas tes oignons (it's none of your onions). The explanation sometimes given, that villagers each tended their own onion patch, has no source behind it. English says "mind your own beeswax," which is no easier to explain.
More French idioms
- Le dessus du panier The pick of the crop; the best of a group.
- Un panier percé Someone incapable of holding on to money.
- Le parcours du combattant A gruelling series of obstacles.
- La flèche du Parthe A wounding remark delivered while leaving.
- Graisser la patte To bribe someone.
- Le haut du pavé The most privileged position in society.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
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- Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps A single encouraging sign does not prove a trend.
- L'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions Meaning well counts for nothing without acting well.
- Qui trop embrasse mal étreint Attempting too many things at once means doing none of them properly.
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