Provençal expression

saup lou viéure dóu mounde

Character

Literal translation

He knows the living of the world.

Meaning

he has good manners, knows how to behave

Explanation

This expression denotes good manners, that is, knowledge of proper etiquette and the ability to behave correctly in society. Viéure, used here as a noun derived from the verb to live, refers, in this use, to ways of living, the customs and conventions governing relations between people. Mounde, the world, refers less to the universe than to people, the society one moves within, its codes and expectations. Saup, to know, places this knowledge of proper conduct on the level of true expertise, acquired through observation and experience. The construction faithfully mirrors the equivalent French phrase savoir-vivre, with a word order emphasising the verb to know followed by its object, the living of the world. It is used in ordinary register to praise someone recognised for their social ease, able to behave with tact and propriety in any circumstance, in society as within the family.

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Other expressions on the same theme

es groussié coume un pan d'òrdihe's as coarse as barley bread sucra la baloto manto sugarcoat the pill vougne lou façunto grease someone's palm faire li dos manto keep both sides happy es uno fino lamohe's a sharp, cunning fellow vai te faire leva lou soulèugo away, leave me alone