French Expression · Native
Mettre la puce à l'oreille
To make suspicious / To give a hint / To put a flea in one's ear
Pronunciation: MET-truh lah puus ah l'oh-REY-yuh
Meaning
To cause someone to become suspicious or to alert them to a potential problem, often subtly.
Example
Son histoire a mis la puce à l'oreille des enquêteurs.
His story made the investigators suspicious.
Common mistakes & tips
- Practice Mettre la puce à l'oreille out loud — read the pronunciation guide above and repeat.
- Use it in your own sentence today; reuse beats rereading.
- Pay attention to context: this is a native-level French expression.