Switzerland· medium· informal
faire la pote
“to make the pote (a Swiss word for lip)”
Meaning
to sulk, pulling a sullen face
Explanation
Said of a child, or an adult who ought to know better, refusing to speak and jutting out the bottom lip after being told no. Common currency in French-speaking Switzerland and across the border in Lorraine. It looks like it should be about friendship, since pote is mate in ordinary French slang, but a completely different and older word sits underneath.
Example
Elle fait la pote depuis qu'on lui a dit non.
She's been sulking ever since we told her no.
Origin
The pote here is a regional word for a pouted or protruding lip, related to the Occitan pòta (mouth) and cousin to poutou, a kiss in several southern dialects, and to the English verb to pout. All point to the same puffed-up face.
Where
Switzerland
Lorraine
Source