Why do I need to know discover the pot of roses?
Because if you enjoy celebrity gossip, then you probably will find good use for this phrase
What does it mean?
Discover the pot of roses – pronounced day-coov-rear le pot-oh rose – literally translates to ‘to discover the pot of roses.’
You might use this expression when finding out about some exciting gossip or maybe when discovering what your partner secretly planned for your anniversary, as this phrase in actuality is what you would say when you learn something secret or hidden.
In English, when discussing secrets, you might say someone has ‘spilled the beans’ or ‘let the cat out of the bag,’ but the French phrase is more about the person who has found out about the hidden item or truth, not the person who told it, as it ‘spill the beans’.
The origins of this French expression are not what you might expect, historically, the phrase has little to do with the flowers.
During the Middle Ages, the verb ‘discover’ had the meaning of ‘to lift a lid’ and at the time the phrase ‘pot of roses’ referred to a small box that wealthy women used to store their perfumes, as well as their makeup. They often used these boxes to keep secrets, letters, or notes that they did not want others to stumble upon.
Use it like this
During the afterwork, Sarah told everyone the craziest secrets about the boss’s private life. I don’t understand how she managed to discover the pot of roses. – During the work happy hour, Sarah told us all about the wildest secrets of our boss’ personal life. I don’t understand how she managed to unearth that gossip.
He discovered the pot of roses when he logged on to his roommate’s computer to simply look at his email. – He discovered the secret when he logged onto his roommate’s laptop to just check his email.