France· hard· informal
partir en biberine
“to leave in biberine (a Marseille sweet)”
Meaning
to fall apart completely
Explanation
Marseille slang for a situation, or a person, coming completely undone.
Example
Dès qu'il a pris la parole, la réunion est partie en biberine.
As soon as he started speaking, the meeting fell apart.
Origin
Biberine was a Marseille sweet from the 1920s, a paper cone of flavoured sugar powder you sucked like a baby's bottle. The wet paper would give way and the powder would scatter everywhere, hence going off in biberine for something falling to pieces.
Where
Marseille
Source