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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | to freak out, blow a fuse/gasket, lose one’s temper, go postal | |
| Literally |
to blow the fuses |
|
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation | [pay tay lay plo(n)] | |
| IPA | [pe te le plɔ̃] | |
Usage notes: The French expression péter les plombs is exactly equivalent to the English "to blow a fuse." Literally, they refer to electrical fuses, essential safety devices that blow when overloaded in order to prevent short circuits and other electrical problems.
Figuratively, both expressions allude to a person’s temper (e.g., he has a short fuse, it doesn’t take much for him to overload). So péter les plombs indicates that a person’s fuse has blown and he thus loses his temper.
Par exemple…
| En voyant les dégâts, Jean a pété les plombs ! | Upon seeing the damage, Jean blew a fuse! | |
| J’ai peur de lui dire, elle va péter les plombs. | I’m afraid to tell her, she’s going to freak out. |
Variation: péter un plomb
Synonyms: see the list at péter un câble
Related lesson
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