de haut en bas

English

Etymology

From French du haut en bas (“from on high to low”)

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /dəˌ(h)əʊtɒnˈba/

Adverb

de haut en bas (not comparable)

  1. With condescension; superciliously. Also used attributively.
    • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 4
      The landlady looked at him de haut en bas, rather pitying, and at the same time, resenting his clear, fierce morality.
    • 2016, Stoddard Martin, Literary Review, April 2016, p. 19:
      Thomas initially took a de haut en bas attitude to Nazism, expecting it to be a flash in the pan.

Translations

References
  • E. Cobham Brewer. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.