Provençal expression

Fai-ti gras !

Character

Literal translation

make yourself fat!

Meaning

enjoy yourself, indulge

Explanation

The starting image is food: you are given far too little, and, ironically, you tell yourself with that, fais-toi gras, fatten yourself up. The phrase points out that what you were given, or told, is insufficient or useless, and later spread to other situations, such as reporting incomprehensible explanations to a friend. It works through ironic antiphrasis, a common device in Provence. Some add vaqui uno amelo or aqui un cese depending on the region.

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Other expressions on the same theme

fai coume li cacalaus que canton quand soun oustau se brulohe acts carefree even as danger looms ié fai tant coume la pèsto i catit leaves him completely unmoved Faire d'ouratòrito stop at every step along the way se garça de quaucarèn coume de l'as de picohe couldn't care less about it Faire d'uei de sùpito gaze admiringly, a little foolishly a perdu la boussolohe's lost his bearings