Day 3164 (Thursday) 5th February 2026

This is Nice

and this is Paillon above Menton.

We woke up to a beautiful blue sky and the sun was shining and Huw took me into Nice for our weekly kebab and my French lesson.

Our park was closed because they are building the stands for the carnival and it clouded over again.

 

So we had to go to the kiddies playground instead.

Why do these dolphins have front legs?

Huw walked me to school and on the way we saw these beautiful flowers and you could really smell the mimosas.

School was as difficult as ever but the teacher said I was doing well, I don’t believe her but it was nice of her to say so. 

This is the waiting room in the school.

At 3.20 I just couldn’t take anything in and I begged her to stop, which she kindly did, thank god. I walked to Place Massena and it was good to see them progressing with the carnival preparations, it’s such a shame there’s no sunshine but fingers crossed it’ll be out soon enough.  

Péter: the French word that can mean farting, breaking, being drunk and more.

The Local's French grammar tips. Image: Patick Fore_Meizhi Lang via Unsplash

The French verb péter means either to burst or to fart - but it also appears in dozens of idioms covering everything from boasting to being drunk, via a violent temper.

The verb péter - pronounced as peh-tay - has several definitions.

Originally, it means to burst, break suddenly often accompanied by a sharp noise.
Le verre a pété. - The glass broke. You could also use it to describe a burst tyre on your bicycle.

It also means to fart, it's used quite commonly but considered informal.
Il a pas fait exprès de péter devant la classe. - He didn't mean to fart in front of the class.

The word péter can also be used in the context of someone being completely drunk. 
Il a trop bu, il est pété. - He drank too much, he's drunk.

It can also be used to describe success, beating a high score for example.
Il a pété le record. - He beat the high score.

So far so straightforward. However the word is also used in a great many French expressions, sayings and idioms - many of which have no connection to the original meaning of the verb.

All of which can be quite confusing for anyone named Peter.

You may also notice that once the verb is conjugated, the accent type changes - so the verb is péter, while the conjugated verb is il pète.

Se la péter- This one means to show off, when you say je vais me la péter, the tone of voice is usually self-aware, like saying "I'm going to flex a little bit". But it can also be critical when talking about someone else, il se la pète - he's full of himself/bragging too much.

Péter un câble- Even though this one creates the mental image of an electrical wire exploding, it means that someone is so angry or upset that they are about to 'lose it' or 'freak out'.

There are synonymous expression to this one, also using the verb péter, like péter une durite (break a hose), péter les plombs (blow a fuse) - all these essentially mean to lose one's mind. Si vient pas ce soir, je vais péter un cable. - If he doesn't show up tonight, I'm going to lose it.

Péter plus haut que son cul- This one is definitely vulgar, so be careful if you use it. It means to be pretentious, full of yourself or to act as if you are above the people around you.

This expression dates back to the 1600s, and literally translates as 'to fart higher than your arse'. Il est tellement prétentieux, il pète plus haut que son cul. - He's so pretentious, he thinks he's better than everyone else.

Péter le feu - This expression means 'farting fire' - but it really means to be in good form, in good health. It's often used for older people who remain in good health with plenty of energy, but can be used by people of all ages.

J'ai été malade pendant deux semaines mais c'est bon maintenant je pète le feu ! - I was sick for two weeks but I'm fine now, I feel great!

Péter un coup - Now this expression actually refers to farting. It literally translates to "fart a bit" but is used to tell someone to calm down, to relax. Pète un coup, arrête de stresser pour rien. - Calm down, stop stressing for no reason.

Péter les couilles - Another vulgar expression to say that someone is really annoying. It translates as 'ball-breaking', but is really closer to 'ball-ache' - it's very similar to the other French expression casse-couille.

Tu me pètes les couilles avec ta musique ! - You're really pissing me off with your music.

Péter la gueule à quelqu'un - This one translates to "smash someone's head in". When someone says this, they are insinuating that they are going to beat someone up. Meanwhile, when you say je vais me péter la gueule, it essentially means "I'm going to fall and break my face". Both are considered slang. In fact, gueule which means face in French, is always considered vulgar.

Péter dans la soie - This translates to "fart in silk", but it actually means living in luxury, to be very rich.
Ce mec pète dans la soie, il a un loft à Paris et une villa en Corse. - This guy is so rich, he owns a loft in Paris and a villa in Corisca.