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French · Insults (Aimed at a Person)

Casse-toi, pauvre con !

kass-TWAH POH-vruh KOHN · /kas.twa povʁ kɔ̃/

Get lost, you pathetic idiot

4/5 Fighting words

aimed at a person, will start something

Literally

"Break yourself (get lost), poor idiot"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

A genuine insult that became a national catchphrase: President Sarkozy snapped it at a man who refused to shake his hand at a 2008 farm show, on camera. Everyone over 30 hears the reference instantly, so it lands as half-insult, half-meme — but say it straight to someone and it's still fighting words. Retro origin, still funny, still bites.

Heard in the wild

Il m'a regardé et il a dit : casse-toi, pauvre con.

He looked at me and said: get lost, you pathetic idiot.

Where it lands

France (universal); instantly recognised as the Sarkozy line

Quick answers

What does "Casse-toi, pauvre con !" mean?
In French, "Casse-toi, pauvre con !" means "Get lost, you pathetic idiot". Literally it's "Break yourself (get lost), poor idiot". A genuine insult that became a national catchphrase: President Sarkozy snapped it at a man who refused to shake his hand at a 2008 farm show, on camera. Everyone over 30 hears the reference instantly, so it lands as half-insult, half-meme — but say it straight to someone and it's still fighting words. Retro origin, still funny, still bites.
Is "Casse-toi, pauvre con !" offensive?
Yes — very. It rates 4/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Fighting words). aimed at a person, will start something. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
How do you pronounce "Casse-toi, pauvre con !"?
Say it "kass-TWAH POH-vruh KOHN" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kas.twa povʁ kɔ̃.

Related in French

Putain ! poo-TAN Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really Bordel ! bor-DEL What a mess! / Chaos! — also 'what the hell' as an intensifier Putain de merde ! poo-TAN duh MEHRD For f***'s sake! / Goddammit! Con KOHN Idiot / dumbass — the single most useful insult in French Ta gueule ! ta GUHL Shut up! / Shut your mouth! C'est nul ! say NOOL That sucks / That's lame

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Get lost".

how to say "Get lost" →how to say "Screw you" →

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