I spent fourth grade in Quebec. My french was not quite up to snuff, so I would often memorize words and phrases and as my Mom for a translation when I got home. Once I was forced to ask ther what "Vous etes de la merde" meant.

She became upset and demanded to know where I'd heard it. "Monsieur X said it to the whole class" I explained, which did not mollify her. Unfortunately she was ready to put on her coat and head to the school that very minute, so I was forced to give her the following context:

It was winter, and our school had been cleverly designed so that the schoolyard faced into the wind. Blowing snow would form huge drifts against the building, and on this one particular day they nearly covered the first-floor windows.

Our classroom was on the second floor. After lunch lined up near the windows, openned them, and when Monsieur X came in we jumped. There were not enough windows for us each to have one, so I was still in the room and got to see his face when he thought he had witnessed a mass fourth-grader lemming-suicide. I jumped after that, cause there was no way I was gonna stay in the room with him alone.

After the principal, vice-principal, custodian and teacher had got us all rounded up and back into our class, Monsieur X swivelled his chair around so he was facing away from us. We were shivering from adrenalin and cold. Then his shoulders began to shake - not the tremor of tears, but the big heaves of a man trying for all he's worth to not laugh out loud. He turned, said "Vous etes de la merde" and began the afternoon's lessons.

My mother explained: It literally means 'You are shit', but in this context would more acurately be translated 'You are shits'. And she agreed.