Why do I need to know péter plus haut que son cul?

Because you might hear your friend use this French expression when complaining about someone with a big ego.

What does it mean?

Péter plus haut que son cul – roughly pronounced peh-tay ploos oat kuh sohn koo – translates as ‘to fart higher than one’s ass/arse’.

As you can imagine, it is rather vulgar, so you should be careful who you use it around.

A slightly less offensive version would be péter plus haut qu’on a le derrière (farting higher than your behind).

Basically, 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 the idea is that an overly pretentious person tries to pass gas from an unnatural orifice – located higher on their back – than with their bum like everyone else.

As such, the expression is sometimes followed by the phrase et se faire un trou dans le dos (and to make a hole in the back).

Probably the most similar (although less fun) English expressions would be to ‘to put on airs’ or to describe someone as ‘on their high horse’.

A similar French expression – albeit less vulgar – for describing someone who is full of themselves would be se croire le premier moutardier du pape (to think oneself the first mustard-maker of the pope).

Use it like this

Il ne faut pas péter plus haut que son cul. Tout le monde est condamné à se tromper un jour ou l’autre. – You shouldn’t be so full of yourself. Everyone makes mistakes sooner or later.

Je ne supporte pas ce type, il pète plus haut que son cul. – I cannot stand that guy. He’s so full of himself.