se casser le cul
What does “se casser le cul” mean in English?
It means to make a great effort or work very hard. The literal translation is 'break one's arse,' but it's used more figuratively.
Literally “break one's arse”
You might hear it in a context similar to 'bust your ass' in English, often used informally to describe putting in a lot of effort. It's not aimed at anyone directly and carries a casual, somewhat gritty tone.
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Related French words
se sortir les doigts du cul
3/5 · VulgarIt means to stop being lazy and actually do something. The literal translation refers to taking your fingers out of your arse, which adds a bit of urgency to the message.
se foutre de la gueule de
3/5 · VulgarIt means to mock someone or treat them like a fool. It's a dismissive way of saying you don't take someone seriously.
se les cailler
2/5 · CoarseIt means to be freezing cold, expressed in a coarse way. The literal translation refers to a body part, but it’s implied rather than stated outright.
avoir de la merde dans les yeux
3/5 · VulgarIt means to fail to see something obvious or to judge a situation poorly. The literal translation refers to having shit in your eyes, which emphasizes a lack of clarity or awareness.
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.