This French expression isn’t actually about putting water in your wine.
Why do I need to know mettre de l’eau dans son vin?
Legend says this French expression has its origins in Greek mythology.
What does it mean?
The expression mettre de l’eau dans son vin, roughly pronounced metr duh loh dahn sohn vanh (listen here), translates literally to “putting water in your wine” but in reality it means “to compromise” or “tone things down”.
It’s used when someone becomes less strict, less extreme, or more flexible in their opinions or demands.
It’s somewhat similar to the English phrase ‘to water things down’, but can be used in a wider range of circumstances.
According to legend, Dionysus – the god of vines, wine, festivity, and excess in ancient Greek religion – recommended diluting wine with water to reduce the effects of intoxication. Since drunkenness often leads to a loss of self-control, this practice made it possible to enjoy wine for a longer time.
In the Middle Ages, the practice continued, but this time for health reasons. Wine was diluted with water to help digestion, and water with wine for its supposed purifying effect. In the French countryside, you will still find a few elderly people who indulge in this mixture.
It was in the 17th century that mettre de l’eau dans son vin took on a figurative meaning.
At the time, it meant “to curb one’s temper”. The expression quickly evolved. By the 18th century, French writer and philosopher Voltaire was already using it to mean “to moderate one’s pretensions” or “to scale back one’s ambitions.” Today, this is by far the most common usage.
Use it like this
Il devrait mettre de l’eau dans son vin et accepter de prendre le train plutôt que l’avion. – He should be more flexible and accept taking the train instead of the plane.
Après la discussion, elle a mis de l’eau dans son vin et a décidé que ça ne servait plus à rien de se disputer. – After the discussion, she watered down her demands and decided it wasn’t worth fighting.
On va devoir mettre de l’eau dans notre vin pour trouver un accord. – We’ll have to compromise to reach an agreement.
