Tu ouvres un colis qui n’est pas pour toi

What does “passer un savon” mean in French?

In the clip, a woman says she gave the delivery man “un savon” — in her words, “j’ai mis un savon au livreur.” But no one is washing anything. “Passer (or mettre) un savon à quelqu’un” means to scold someone, to tell them off in a strong way. You use it when a person did something wrong and you say so, directly and firmly. It is very common in spoken French, at home and at work.

In the clip: « J’ai mis un savon au livreur. À mon avis, il a tenté de regarder ce qu’il avait dedans. » — “I told the delivery guy off. I think he tried to look at what was inside.” The most common form is “passer un savon à quelqu’un,” but “mettre un savon” (as in the clip) and “prendre un savon” (to get told off) are also used. The image is old: people once washed laundry by scrubbing it hard with a block of soap. From this hard scrubbing came the idea of telling someone off in a strong way. By the 18th century, “savon” alone had come to mean a sharp scolding. A few examples: « Mon chef m’a passé un savon. » (My boss told me off.) « Tu vas te faire passer un savon. » (You’re going to get told off.) The person giving the “savon” is usually someone with some power — a parent, a boss, a teacher.