/sə ʒəte de flœʁ/ lit. ‘to throw flowers at yourself’
French idiom, everyday. To brag about yourself.
Draft Not yet checked by a native French speaker.
How do people use Se jeter des fleurs
?
Everyday and a bit mocking, said about someone singing their own praises, or about yourself with a wink: “je me jette des fleurs, mais c’était bien joué”. Without the reflexive it turns outward: “jeter des fleurs à quelqu’un” means to flatter someone else. “S’envoyer des fleurs” (to send yourself flowers) means the same.
Also said s’envoyer des fleurs
Se jeter des fleurs
in real sentences
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Tu te jettes des fleurs.
You toot your own horn.
Tatoeba, sentence by Myrano_, translation by Myrano_, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Arrête de te jeter des fleurs.
Stop tooting your own horn.
Tatoeba, sentence by lbdx, translation by Hybrid, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Se jeter des fleurs
come from?
The picture is the bouquet thrown on stage to a performer, except that here the performer is throwing it at themselves. French Wiktionary defines it as saying good things about yourself but gives no date or history, and there’s no reliable record of its first use.
Mistakes learners make with Se jeter des fleurs
Dropping the reflexive. “Tu me jettes des fleurs” means you’re flattering me; only “tu te jettes des fleurs” puts the bouquet back in your own arms.
Other French idioms like Se jeter des fleurs
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