The perfect phrase for anyone with a less than ideal relationship with their in-laws.
Why do I need to know tourner au vinaigre?
Because this is the perfect phrase to describe your once-wonderful, now less-than-wonderful former roommate.
What does it mean?
Tourner au vinaigre – usually pronounced tore-nay oh vin-eh-gruh – literally translates to ‘turn to vinegar.’ It is quite similar to the English expression ‘to sour,’ which can be either literal or metaphorical, and is usually used to describe interpersonal dynamics that have gone awry.
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The origins of the expression are quite interesting though – as in, it did not arise from bad wine, as you might think.
It goes all the way back to the 17th century, when vinegar-makers would walk the streets shouting in a high-pitched voice ‘Voilà le bon vinaigre!’ (Here is the good vinegar!). They were numerous on the streets of Paris, which gave birth to the slang expression ‘crier au vinaigre’ which meant to ‘call for help,’ as the vinegar-makers’ cries sounded similar to cries for help.
This origin-story might be comparable to that of the English expression “screaming like a fishwife,” where fishwives once yelled loudly to sell their products on the street.
In the next 200 years, the expression morphed into ‘tourner au vinaigre,’ to describe a dialogue between two people that is becoming increasingly tense and angry.
Use it like this
Ces vacances tendues n’ont été agréables pour personne, surtout si l’on considère que les relations entre ma mère et mon mari ont tourné au vinaigre. – The tense vacation was not fun for anyone, especially considering how the relationship between my mother and my husband went sour.
On était de bons colocataires et des amis proches mais la relation a tourné au vinaigre après qu’il ait mangé ma nourriture dans le réfrigérateur. – We were good roommates and friends, but the relationship turned sour when he kept eating my food in the fridge.