Provençal expression

saup mounte dor Jano

Money

Literal translation

he knows where Jeanne sleeps

Meaning

he knows every nook and every secret

Explanation

This expression means that someone knows every nook and every secret of a place or a matter, especially the location of a hiding place where, figuratively, a hoard or a sum of money lies asleep. It is made up of well attested words: to know, where, to sleep, and the first name Jeanne, used here as a conventional figure, perhaps the mistress of the house or a female figure traditionally linked to guarding the family's wealth. The image plays on the idea that money, like a sleeping person, rests hidden somewhere, and that only the initiated know the exact spot of that rest. It is used to speak of someone with privileged knowledge of a household's savings, or more broadly of someone who knows the ins and outs of a situation perfectly, its hidden resources as well as its weaknesses. The register is casual, tinged with a touch of mischief, fit for remarks between close acquaintances about someone else's money matters.

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Other expressions on the same theme

a mai de sòu qu'un chin de nierohe's extremely wealthy rastello li sòu à la palohe's raking in the money es riche coume Crèsushe's as rich as Croesus cop d'argènt es pas cop de morta loss of money is never a fatal blow es nus e crushe has absolutely nothing coucho lou merlushe's broke, chasing after money