Quick help on possible idiom

[Larry Kuranko]

I recently read a motto: "tu le ton." I don't believe this makes sense. Is it an idiom I don't know?

[Frank]

Hi Larry,

Well, "tu le ton" doesn't make any sense. Maybe one word is missing, like "tu hausses le ton", which means that your tone of voice is getting harder.

[Larry Kuranko]

Merci. The phrase was on a sailboat, I don't believe the owners were fluent.

[Frank]

Phonetically it sounds like "tu le tonds", which means "you moan the grass", although we also sometimes say it about a hair, too.

Another guess: "tuer le temps", which means to kill the time.

[Neil Coffey]

Ou bien c'est un voilier qui "tue le thon"...? ;-)

[Frank]

Hopefully it wasn't about someone who's not exactly Angelina Jolie.