Ready to learn everything you want to know about the funny French idiom "Occupe-toi de tes oignons"? Including a complete guide of what it is and how you can use it in a normal conversation with an audio example. Together with the cool informations we added like synonyms, slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example and more!
Translation : Mind your own business
Literal meaning : Take care of your onions
Register : Informal - Funny
Slow
Normal
IPA : / ɔkyptwa də tez‿ ɔɲɔ̃ /
The literal meaning is:
This French saying is a way to express "Mind your own business / It's none of your business". Because it's informal, the closest expression in English would be "None of your beeswax".
But what's the link with onions?!
This expression comes from the 20th century, where the term "Oignon" (Onion) was slang for both the feet and the ass. It also referred to a mark of independence from women who had a piece of land to grow their onions and sell them.
So "Occupe-toi de tes oignons" became a way to say "Mind your own business. My onion(s), my life".
Use it like you would use "Mind your own business" in English, but beware that it's familiar, so avoid using it in formal situations. For a formal version, I recommend you to use "Ça ne vous concerne pas" (It doesn't concern you).
↓ Example in a story with translation ↓
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Passer une mauvaise journée
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