foutre le bordel
What does “foutre le bordel” mean in English?
It means to create chaos or disorder. The literal translation is 'put the brothel', but that's not how it's used.
Literally “put the brothel”
You might hear it in situations where someone is expressing frustration about a mess or disorganization, similar to saying 'make a shitshow' in English. It's informal and carries a moderate level of rudeness.
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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 la merde
3/5 · VulgarIt means to cause trouble or create a mess. Literally, it translates to 'put shit.'
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.