6

There is a Quebecois TV comedy called Lâcher prise that has an episode titled «Tu te magasines une soupe aux dents». I understand this as literally meaning "You are shopping for tooth soup," but I'm guessing it's an idiom similar to "You're looking to get your teeth knocked in" in English.

I did manage to find the phrase used in a periodical from France - this article has a passage reading, "...il n’y a pas eu d’Harald Schumacher pour mijoter une soupe aux dents à un quelconque Patrick Battiston." But it does seem to be pretty rare - I only found four or five instances online.

  1. Am I correct in guessing that this means that you're tempting people to punch you in the face?
  2. Is this a specifically Quebecois idiom, or is it more widely known in the Francophone world?
Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
9

The expression "Faire manger [to make (someone) eat] de la soupe aux dents à quelqu’un" is listed as meaning "lui casser la figure" (to break their face) in Québec and I agree with that meaning.

Le match venait à peine de commencer que Gord Donnelly et Kevin Maguire laissaient tomber les gants. L'intervention rapide des juges de lignes a empêché Maguire de manger une soupe aux dents...

Le Soleil (Québec), 30 décembre 1987, Peter Stastny atteint le plateau des 300 buts.

Quite literally saved Maguire From getting a beating. See also a native speaker (Maurice Bourdages, at 1:24) naturally using that to describe fighting with someone.

Technically with magasiner, it feels like on the lookout for but depending on context it means setting yourself up for... a beating, a defeat i.e. either literally or figuratively, maybe even ironically. Formatted as a question with "magasiner" it could technically have been construed as a threat.

Here the context is this:

Les nouveaux antidépresseurs de Madeleine la rendent un peu plus spontanée que d’habitude. Simon, fébrile, annonce à ses filles qu’il emménagera chez Valérie; mais la réaction de Bibi et Margot n’est pas celle à laquelle il s’attendait. Témoin des paroles blessantes que sa mère adresse à tout un chacun, Valérie encourage celle-ci à entreprendre une tournée d’excuses. Madeleine a du pain sur la planche si elle souhaite réparer les pots cassés! Valérie poursuit sa thérapie familiale.

The meds are having an effect on the person and they're behaving differently and they're seemingly being turned down etc.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Thank you - very interesting! It does seem to be very similar in meaning and tone to the expression, "You're cruising for a bruising."
    – Canadian Yankee
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 12:28
  • @CanadianYankee Thank you! I don't think I knew that one but yeah, it does indeed.
    – Kamala-1FTW
    Commented Jun 24, 2021 at 22:42
0

Never heard it in France. I guess this is Quebequois

Improve this answer
5
  • 2
    I did manage to find the phrase used in a periodical from France - this article has a passage reading, "...il n’y a pas eu d’Harald Schumacher pour mijoter une soupe aux dents à un quelconque Patrick Battiston." But it does seem to be pretty rare - I only found four or five instances online.
    – Canadian Yankee
    Commented Jun 22, 2021 at 21:05
  • Unfortunately this answer reads as a comment (LQ) and not an authoritative answer to the question. @CanadianYankee I've added your research into your question as this post has been flagged and may be deleted. Tu peux toujours réviser et bienvenue sur French Stack Exchange.
    – livresque
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 4:56
  • 2
    This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post. - From Review
    – livresque
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 4:57
  • @Livresque While certainly terse, zar3bski's first sentence somewhat answers to the question "is it more widely known in the Francophone world", doesn't it ?
    – jlliagre
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 7:19
  • 1
    Ce serait bien de savoir si c'est employé ailleurs, dans le commentaire sportif par exemple. Je pense que c'est aussi utile de dire que le sens est plutôt simple, il n'y a pas d'idiome particulier, les dents sont très fermement ancrées dans les gencives donc la soupe avec les morceaux qui flottent est complètement antinomique et évoque leur détachement dans le contexte du combat par exemple... J'imagine que l'on comprend spontanément le sens. Ça peut sembler évident mais quelqu'un peut lire ça et penser que c'est très particulier comme je sais pas quoi d'autre...
    – Kamala-1FTW
    Commented Jun 24, 2021 at 23:27

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.