Francophonie· medium· informal
s'occuper de ses oignons
“to take care of one's onions”
Meaning
To mind one's own business
Explanation
An informal way to tell someone to mind their own business (similar to 'none of your beeswax' in English).
Example
De quoi tu te mêles ? Ce n'est pas tes oignons !
Why are you getting involved? It's none of your business!
Origin
Shows up in the early 20th century. One theory traces it to 19th-century slang where 'oigne' meant backside or feet. Another says it comes from women selling onions they'd grown themselves, a small source of independent income.
Source
More like this
- arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupeTo turn up at the worst possible moment
- avoir de la bouteilleTo have plenty of experience
- avoir du bléto have money
- avoir du pain sur la plancheTo have a lot of work still to do
- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventreTo take on more than one can handle
- courir sur le haricot à quelqu'unto get on someone's nerves