faire le malin

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛʁ lə ma.lɛ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

faire le malin

1. (informal) to get wise, get cute, to act smart, to try to be clever, to be impertinent

   Synonyms: frimer, se la péter, faire le fier

   Tu feras moins le malin quand la police se sera rendue compte que tu leur as menti. ― You'll be laughing on the other side of your face when the police find out you've been lying to them.

Usage notes

This verb is usually translated by "show off" in translation dictionaries, but this is inaccurate.

Derived terms

• qui fait le malin tombe dans le ravin

See also

• ramener sa science
• ne pas en mener large