Literal translation
to make an uproar
Meaning
to cause a scandal
Explanation
Estampèu means uproar or crash, a sudden, violent noise, often associated with an impact or a fall; faire un estampèu literally means making a great noise, a crash, a meaning that extended into the social register to mean causing a scandal, that is, sparking an incident loud enough for the whole neighborhood or community to talk about. The shift from physical noise to public scandal follows a pattern common to several languages, where loud noise becomes the image of social uproar. The expression is said of a public quarrel, an embarrassing revelation, or shocking behavior that makes a lot of noise in a small village community, where reputation and gossip travel fast. The register is familiar, often carrying a note of disapproval or amusement at how large a fundamentally private matter has grown. The expression joins the Provençal stock of phrases about reputation and the flare-ups of community life.