“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
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
