“Être soupe au lait” is a fun little French expression that translates directly to “to be milk soup”. What the expression really means is to be hot-headed or quick to anger. The expression comes from the 19th century expression “monter comme une soupe au lait” given how instantly milk can rise when it comes to a boil. Here are some other translations:
- to have a short fuse
- to get angry over nothing
- to be easily angered
French-to-French translations include impétueux, impulsif and sanguin, which all translate to hotheaded.
Here’s an example sentence:
- Papa est tellement soupe au lait, il sénerve toujours pour rien. Dad has such a short fuse. He always gets angry over nothing.
Watch a great video explaining this expression:
Video source: Maintenant Tu Sais
Suggested audio French courses from Frenchtoday.com
David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
