pousser le bouchon

French

FWOTD – 4 April 2020

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pu.se l(ə) bu.ʃɔ̃/

• France (Lyon)

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• France (Lyon)

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Verb

pousser le bouchon

1. (informal) to go too far, to cross the line

   Synonyms: dépasser les bornes, aller trop loin, pousser mémé dans les orties

Usage notes

• Often used with the adverb loin (“far”): pousser le bouchon un peu loin, pousser le bouchon trop loin.
• Does not correspond to push the envelope, which is often inaccurately given as a translation in translation dictionaries.

Conjugation

• see pousser