THE EXPRESSION COMES FROM FRANCE’S MOST STUDIED AND WELL-KNOWN FABULIST “Je suis Gros-Jean comme devant.”  This French idiom will probably have you scratching your head. Who is John? Why is

he big? What is the meaning of this bizarre expression? It actually refers to feeling disappointed or foolish.  However, you certainly will not be disappointed by the interesting origin

story behind this old phrase which was first coined by Jean de la Fontaine. WHAT DOES ÊTRE GROS-JEAN COMME DEVANT MEAN? It literally translates as: to be big John as before. A more

appropriate way of interpreting this peculiar phrase would be to refer to the idea of disappointment, failure or unfair treatment. It can describe someone who puts in effort without seeing

Jean de La Fontaine in his 1678 fable, La Laitière et le Pot au lait (The Milkmaid and the Pot of Milk).  This story describes a milkmaid who imagines herself making a great fortune by

selling milk. However, she faces disillusionment after dropping her pot, seeing her potential riches smashed and splashed on the ground.  The final lines go like this: “Quelque accident

fait-il que je rentre en moi-même, Je suis gros Jean comme devant.” (An accident happens and I return to myself, I am John Smith as before.) La Laitière et le Pot au lait - Jean de La

Fontaine - Thalie Envolée (HD) The word devant (in front) used to be understood as avant (before). It is still used this way in formal contexts. But why is the milkmaid calling herself

Gros-Jean? This mysterious character is not based on a real person. Jean is a name which has traditionally been used to refer to someone average. The plot thickens as we learn that the

adjective gros is not a reference to size. In Old French, it was mainly used to describe something, or someone, naive, foolish or simple. So, Jean de la Fontaine simply used this description

to emphasise his point. This is similar to the English phrase, an average Joe. It could also be compared to use of the name John Smith as a placeholder or term for referring to someone

‘common.’ Therefore, the milkmaid calls herself Gros-Jean as her dream of becoming rich is taken away and she finds herself as just another everyday person.  Read also: Frenchman’s bid to

remove the shame of having the name Kevin WHEN DO YOU SAY ÊTRE GROS-JEAN COMME DEVANT? You can say this after working hard without seeing any results: * J'ai l'impression

d'être Gros-Jean comme devant. J'ai travaillé pendant des semaines à l'organisation de cet événement, mais mon patron vient de l'annuler. - I feel so lame. I worked for

weeks on organising this event but my boss just cancelled it. It can be used to describe feeling deflated: * J'ai gâché ma chance de devenir une popstar, maintenant je suis Gros-Jean

comme devant. - I wasted my opportunity to become a popstar, now I'm back to square one. Read also: Understanding 'pédaler dans la semoule': A deep dive into French idioms TO

WHOM DO YOU SAY ÊTRE GROS-JEAN COMME DEVANT? It is a colloquial expression which can be said with friends and family. It is mostly used by older generations. Young people in France might not

understand what you are referring to, but now you can explain the interesting history behind Gros-Jean. Read also: Billy, Lucy, Alex: is there a French town or village with your name? In

fact, the famous Jean appears in a few different French phrases. OTHER JEAN EXPRESSIONS? * Jean-foutre - A good-for-nothing * Jean Farine - A clown/The butt of the joke * Jean Bête - A silly

Billy * Un Jean-Jean - An imbecile  * Jean qui rit, Jean qui pleure - Someone who flits from happy to sad