How do you say “talk through your hat” in Québec French? « Parler à travers son chapeau ». You’ll also see: « parler à travers ton chapeau », « parle à travers son chapeau ».
FamilierShort, 1:05. Published Oct 27, 2026.
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Heard
« Parler à travers son chapeau »
Literally
To talk through your hat, word for word the English idiom.
Means
To talk with confidence about something you don’t know.
« Parler à travers son chapeau » is talking through your hat: speaking with confidence about something you don’t know. It is borrowed from the English idiom « to talk through one’s hat », and the OQLF says it has been on record since at least the early 1900s. Reference works flag it as a borrowing and prefer « parler à tort et à travers » or « parler en l’air ». Both are worth knowing.
When to use it
Spoken, with friends and family. Reference works flag it as borrowed from English; in writing, use « parler à tort et à travers » or « parler en l’air ».
Example lines
« Voyons donc, tu parles à travers ton chapeau! »Come on, you’re talking through your hat!From the Short
« Moi, la dinde, j’la cuis en trente minutes! »Me? I cook the turkey in thirty minutes!From the Short
« Y parle à travers son chapeau! »He’s talking through his hat!From the Short
Captions on