/mɑ̃tiʁ kɔm œ̃n‿aʁaʃœʁ də dɑ̃/ lit. ‘lie like a tooth-puller’
French idiom, familiar. To lie shamelessly while knowing full well it isn’t true.
Draft Not yet checked by a native French speaker.
How do people use Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
?
Familiar and a bit theatrical, used in conversation and in fiction to accuse someone of lying with a straight face. Only “mentir” changes: “il ment comme un arracheur de dents”, “elle mentait comme un arracheur de dents”. French Wiktionary notes that people sometimes switch to “une arracheuse de dents” for a woman or “des arracheurs de dents” for a group.
Also said mentir comme une arracheuse de dents
Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
in real sentences
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Il ment comme un arracheur de dents.
He is lying through his teeth.
Tatoeba, sentence by Rovo, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Tu mens comme un arracheur de dents.
You lie like a rug.
Tatoeba, sentence by lbdx, translation by Dejo, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
come from?
Both French and English Wiktionary explain it by the tooth-pullers of the past, who promised patients the extraction wouldn’t hurt. That’s the standard explanation rather than a documented story, but it’s an easy one to believe. The oldest example French Wiktionary quotes is from Paul de Musset’s Les Nuits italiennes (1848), where the puppet Polichinelle lies “like a tooth-puller”.
Mistakes learners make with Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
Saying “dentiste”. The joke only works with the old trade of tooth-puller (arracheur de dents), and “mentir comme un dentiste” just sounds like an insult to your dentist. Remember the liaison too: “un‿arracheur” sounds like “un-narracheur”.
Other French idioms like Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
Spot a mistake in Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
?
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