paavillisempi kuin paavi itse

Finnish

Etymology

paavillisempi (“more pope-like”) + kuin (“than”) + paavi (“pope”) + itse (“himself”)

Phrase

paavillisempi kuin paavi itse

  1. (simile) more Catholic than the Pope (supporting someone's ideas more vigorously than the person itself)
    olla paavillisempi kuin paavi itse ― to outpope the Pope (to try to act as a more authentic member of a group than one who is a genuine member of the group)
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