Francophonie· medium· informal
mon œil
“my eye”
Meaning
I don't believe that at all
Explanation
This exclamation expresses strong disbelief or scepticism, equivalent to the English "yeah, right!" or "my foot!"
Example
Il dit qu'il a couru un marathon ? Mon œil !
He says he ran a marathon? Yeah, right!
Origin
Shortened from the older phrase 'il n'y en a pas plus que dans mon œil' (there's no more of it than in my eye), meaning 'none at all.' Documented since 1861. The gesture of pulling down the lower eyelid, common in Southern Europe, may have reinforced the expression's dismissive tone.
Source
More like this
- avoir bon dosTo serve as a convenient excuse for someone else's failings
- avoir le bras longTo have influence
- avoir le cœur sur la mainto be very generous
- avoir le compas dans l’œilTo judge distances and proportions accurately, just by eye
- avoir le diable au corpsto be full of reckless, restless energy
- avoir le nez creuxto guess right about what will happen