se regarder en chiens de faïence

The French expression “se regarder en chiens de faïence” translates literally to “to look at each other like china dogs. La faïence translates to china or ceramics. Here’s what the idiom mean in English:

  • to glare at one another
  • to be on hostile terms

In the past people porcelain dogs on opposite ends of the mantel piece. expressio.fr defines the idiom in French as “to look at one another with hostility, or to eyeball each other with suspicion.

example sentence:

Patty et David se détestent depuis plusieurs mois. Quand ils se croisent dans la rue ils se regardent en de faïence mais ne se parlent pas. Patty and David have hated one another for several months. When they bump into each other in the street they glare at one another but don’t speak.

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