Languages › French Péter Les Plombs: French Expression Print Tommaso Tuzj / Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on February 24, 2019 Expression: Péter les plombs Pronunciation: [pay tay lay plo(n)] Meaning: to blow a fuse, hit the ceiling, flip one's lid, lose it (one's temper) Read More Tomber dans les Pommes French Expression Explained By ThoughtCo Team Literal translation: to blow the fuses Register: informal Synonym: péter une durite - "to blow a radiator hose" Notes The French expression péter les plombs, or péter un plomb, is just like "to blow a fuse" in English. They are both used literally in reference to electrical fuses, and figuratively when talking about getting extremely angry and flying into a rage. Example Quand je les ai vus ensemble, j'ai pété les plombs ! When I saw them together, I lost it! Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "Péter Les Plombs: French Expression." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/peter-les-plombs-1371342. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). Péter Les Plombs: French Expression. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/peter-les-plombs-1371342 Team, ThoughtCo. "Péter Les Plombs: French Expression." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/peter-les-plombs-1371342 (accessed April 25, 2024). copy citation