French | Canadian French Quebec, Canada

être habillé comme la chienne à Jacques

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(to be dressed like Jacques' female dog. ) • Used to describe a person dressed poorly. Apparently, a man named Jacques Aubert, who lived during the 19th century, was known as single all his life and only had one companion: a female dog that lost all of its fur because of some disease. During cold winter times, he would dress up his dog with old clothes and rags.

"On a beau être en vacances, ce n'est pas une raison pour s'habiller comme la chienne à Jacques."

"Even if we're on a vacation, it's not a reason to be dressed like Jacques' female dog."