Francophonie· medium
mettre les petits plats dans les grands
“to put the small dishes into the big ones”
Meaning
to go all out cooking a lavish meal for a guest
Explanation
A proper spread laid on for a guest, wheeling out your best tableware even if the food itself is fairly modest.
Example
Pour l'anniversaire de sa belle-mère, il a mis les petits plats dans les grands.
For his mother-in-law's birthday, he pulled out all the stops with an elaborate meal.
Origin
The story goes that after a family had fallen on hard times, there was no longer money for costly food, but the good china stayed in the cupboard, so out it came to dress up a modest meal for guests.
Source
More like this
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- avoir du bléto have money
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