Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez is a French expression that translates literally to “to have mustard climbing up to the nose” and means “to lose your temper” or “to get hot under the collar”.
Expression origin
The expression dates back to the 17th century. It provides an image of a person who shows a change in appearance and emotion after having just eaten mustard.
Example sentence
La moutarde me monte au nez quand je vois des gens qui refusent de suivre les règles.
I get angry when I see people who refuse to follow the rules.
French has several more expressions relating to angry:
- être vert de rage – Literally to be green with rage
- s’attirer les foudres de quelqu’un – to incur somebody’s anger
- une bouffée de colère/rage (noun) – a surge of anger
More expressions with food
- Être soupe au lait – to get angry easily
- Rouler dans la farine – to rip off
- Raconter des salades – to tell tall tales
Reference
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
