Francophonie· medium· informal

en avoir gros sur la patate

to have a lot sitting on the potato

Meaning

To feel very down about something

Explanation

'Patate' is slang for the heart here, so having it 'gros sur la patate' means carrying some real hurt or disappointment.

Example

Depuis qu'elle a perdu son emploi, elle en a gros sur la patate.

Ever since she lost her job, she's been feeling really down.

Origin

It shows up as early as 1919, in Gaston Esnault's dictionary of WWI soldiers' slang. It's really just a folksier version of 'en avoir gros sur le cœur', with 'patate' standing in for the heart.

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