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se faire tirer l’oreille

By David Issokson • August 21, 2020

The French expression translates literally to “se faire tirer l’oreille” to get pulled by the ear”.

English meanings:

to get a tongue-lashing
to scold somebody severely

French meanings:

engueuler, houspiller – to tell off, to reprimand
réprimander (formal language) – to tell off

Example sentence:

L’employé s’est fait tirer par l’oreille quand il n’a pas suivi les indications de son patron. The employee got scolded severely when he didn’t follow his boss’ instructions.

more expressions

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David Issokson

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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