Pointing, showing off and showing up.
Montrer du doigt means to point at — and figuratively, to single someone out for blame: « il ne faut pas les montrer du doigt ». The figurative sense is now the more common one in journalism.
Montrer patte blanche — to show a white paw, from the fable — means to prove your credentials before being let in. And ne pas se montrer means to fail to turn up.
💡 Focus at this level: Idiomatic — montrer du doigt
1. « Montrer du doigt » usually means to blame.
2. « Montrer patte blanche » = prove your bona fides.
3. « Il ne s’est pas montré » = he didn’t show up.
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