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tirer les vers du nez à quelqu’un

The French expression “tirer les vers du nez à quelqu’un” translates literally to “to pull the worms out of somebody’s nose”. English meanings include:

  • to worm information out of somebody
  • to get somebody to talk

A French meaning is: “extirper des informations à quelqu’un” or to drag out or extract information from somebody. In essence, the expression means to successfully get somebody to talk when they’re holding onto information that they don’t want to divulge.

Raconte-moi ce qui s’est passé? Est-ce que je dois te tirer les vers du nez? Tell me what happened! Do I have to worm the information out of you?

more French expressions

David Issokson

David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

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