foutre la merde
What does “foutre la merde” mean in English?
It means to cause trouble or create a mess. Literally, it translates to 'put shit.'
Literally “put shit”
It's used similarly to 'stir up shit' in English, often in informal contexts to describe causing chaos or disruption.
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Related French words
foutoir
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to a complete mess or a chaotic place. Despite its origin, it’s usually not sexual in nature.
foutre le bordel
3/5 · VulgarIt means to create chaos or disorder. The literal translation is 'put the brothel', but that's not how it's used.
foutage de gueule
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to mockery or taking the piss out of someone, often with a sense of contempt. It's used when someone feels deceived or tricked.
fouteur de merde
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to someone who stirs up trouble or causes chaos, essentially a shit-stirrer. Literally, it translates to 'maker of shit.'
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.