French expression of the day: Bonnet d’âne

Why do I need to know bonnet d'âne?

Because it's an old expression with a rich backstory that teaches us important lessons about the traditions of the French education system.

What does it mean?

Bonnet d'âne means 'donkey’s hat', but it's actually a metaphor for someone being 'dumb', 'a fool', 'buffoon', 'idiot', 'loser', 'dunce' – either because they do something stupid, or because they are lagging behind others.

This French expression is an old one and quite similar to the old fashioned English expression 'wearing a dunce's hat'.

Porter le bonnet d'âne (to wear the donkey's hat) means being a fool, but it's also used as an direct insult: Quel bonnet d'âne ! – What an idiot!

If France is doing especially poorly in something compared to other countries, the country can said to both be un bonnet d'âne or wear le bonnet d'âne.

Origins