Canada· hard· informal
ambitionner sur le pain béni
“to be ambitious over the blessed bread”
Meaning
To push your luck too far
Explanation
Used when someone abuses a privilege or generosity already extended to them, going well past what's reasonable.
Example
Le proprio a encore augmenté le loyer, là il ambitionne sur le pain béni.
The landlord's put the rent up again, now he's really pushing his luck.
Origin
It goes back to an old Catholic custom in which households took turns bringing bread to church to be blessed and shared out among the congregation. Some better off families started dressing theirs up with butter and icing, or turning it into an elaborate centrepiece, to show off. That one-upmanship is thought to be where the expression comes from.
Where
Quebec
Source
More like this
- donner de la confiture aux cochonsTo offer something valuable to someone who won't appreciate it
- avoir les yeux dans la graisse de binesTo be half asleep
- éplucher des vieux légumesto keep bringing up old grudges
- être dans les patatesto be completely wrong about something
- le diable bat sa femme pour avoir des crêpesit's raining while the sun is shining
- accouche, qu’on baptiseHurry up and get to the point