Plein comme un oeuf
Literally translated as, “full as an egg,” it is a colloquial simile applied to a thing or a place that’s completely full. Close English equivalents would be “filled to the brim” or “packed to the gills.”
What is important for an English speaker to know is that the expression can’t be applied to a person. “Full” here is not to be understood as having a full stomach, because the French adjective plein is not used in that sense. You would say instead : je suis rassasié - I've had enough (food) - or je n'en peux plus - I can't have any more (food.)
Origin
This expression has been around since the 17th century at least. The reasoning behind it is easy to understand: the white and yolk of an egg fill it entirely, and it would be impossible to squeeze anything more inside the shell.
Nitpickers in the crowd will argue that an air pocket develops inside the egg as it ages until it’s not so full anymore - this is caused by the gradual evaporation of its water content through the porous shell. A more accurate version of the expression might then be plein comme un oeuf fraîchement pondu (full as a freshly laid egg), but we're not sure how well that would take.
Examples
Je peux mettre mes chaussures dans ta valise ? La mienne est pleine comme un œuf.
Can I put my shoes in your suitcase? Mine is packed to the gills.
Ce bus est plein comme un oeuf. Attendons le prochain.
This bus is packed. Let's wait for the next one.
Essuyer les plâtres
Imagine your friend invited you for dinner and wants you to try her new, experimental dish. She...
Aller plus vite que la musique
Imagine you are at a wild dance party. The beats are pumping, the music is grooving, and...
Se monter le bourrichon
"Se monter" means "to wind oneself up," but we're not talking about winding yourself up like a...
Se prendre la tête
This familiar expression literally translates to taking one's head. But don't worry, no one is...
Ne pas manger de ce pain-là
Translated literally as, not eating that kind of bread, this expression means refusing to act in...
Tiré par les cheveux
This somewhat painful expression literally translates to pulled by the hair. You'll often hear...