tirer l’oreille
Meaning: To scold or reprimand someone.
Language: French
Literally: to pull the ear
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The phrase originally pictured physical correction by pulling a child's ear; it evolved to mean any scolding or rebuke.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- tirer les oreilles — To scold someone harshly or punish them.
- ne plus savoir où donner de la tête — To be overwhelmed with work or demands.
- avoir les yeux qui sortent de la tête — To stare with eyes wide open in anger or astonishment.
- faire baiser les verges — To force someone you have mistreated to beg your pardon.
- retourner l’estomac — To disgust or sicken someone, to make them feel nauseous.
- ne pas garder les yeux dans sa poche — To be observant and alert; to miss nothing.
More French idioms
- pousser les feux — To intensify effort or energy; to redouble one's exertions to achieve a goal.
- courir après les cotillons — To pursue amorous or romantic adventures.
- avoir de la tchatche — To be talkative and persuasive, to have the gift of gab.
- tomber à l’eau — To be canceled or abandoned.
- faire le pont-levis — For a horse to rear up very high.
- remonter plus haut — To begin a story or explanation at an earlier point in time to clarify or better illumina…
From our proverbs
- When God wills, all winds bring rain. — Divine providence operates beyond human understanding; circumstances we cannot control ma…
- A man may buy gold too dear. — Excessive price paid for something, however valuable, can make the acquisition a poor bar…
- Gold goes in at any gate, except Heaven's. — Wealth opens worldly doors but cannot purchase spiritual salvation or divine favor.