Literal translation
to make oneself a skin of laughter
Meaning
to have a good laugh
Explanation
This expression means to have a good laugh, very close in register to its variant se faire uno fourro de rire. The word pèu means skin, the body's outer layer, and its use here joins a recurring image in Provençal expressions of extreme laughter, where the body itself seems to give way or transform under hilarity, as when one says to burst one's navel or to tear oneself apart with laughter. To make oneself a skin of laughter thus evokes laughter so intense it seems to affect the very surface of the body, enveloping it entirely, though the image implies no real suffering: it remains, on the contrary, festive and positive, describing a moment of genuine shared cheerfulness. The register is familiar, used in everyday conversation to recount with enthusiasm a comic episode experienced in company. The construction with faire uno followed by the noun pèu belongs to the same productive pattern as se faire uno fourro de rire, confirming a family of interchangeable Provençal turns around the same meaning, each drawing its image from a different part or quality of the body or of matter.