c'est le monde à l'envers

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French

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Etymology

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Literally, that's the world turned upside down.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /s‿ɛ l(ə) mɔ̃d a l‿ɑ̃.vɛʁ/

Phrase

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c’est le monde à l’envers

  1. (informal) the world's turned upside down
    1. it's crazy; it's illogical; it's backward; it doesn't make any sense
      • 2013, Stromae (lyrics and music), “Tous les mêmes”:
        Quoi? Toi aussi tu veux finir maintenant? // C’est le monde à l’envers!
        What? You also want to break up now? // You've got it all wrong!
    2. it's the tail wagging the dog
    3. that's the pot calling the kettle black
      Synonym: c’est l’hôpital qui se moque de la charité

Usage notes

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  • Can be used in a variety of situations, with various contextual meanings.