Tout le plaisir est pour moi.

17. Tout le plaisir est pour moi.
pronounced more or less: too leuh play zir eh poohr mwah
Literal translation: All the pleasure is for me.
Meaning: It's my pleasure. / The pleasure is all mine.
Remark: Tout le plaisir est pour moi is an elegant response to someone who has expressed appreciation. It is more generally used by men than women. While it conveys a compliment to the person being addressed, it also suggests the humility and generosity of the person from whose lips it passes. I suppose we could interpret it as fawning...but why not enjoy the graciousness of the moment instead?

Careful! Tout le plaisir est pour moi and the shorter, perhaps more commonly known expression avec plaisir are not synonymous, nor are they used in the same contexts. For instance, if you're at a dinner party and the host or hostess offers you another glass of wine, you can appropriately respond, "avec plaisir" ("yes, thank you very much"). En revanche, "tout le plaisir est pour moi," would be linguistically incorrect and even odd. You'll be the one drinking the wine so, yes, the pleasure will indeed be yours, but an expression of thanks – avec plaisir – is what's anticipated.

Example for Tout le plaisir est pour moi: You are leaving the local boulangerie-épicerie, your basket filled to the brim with supplies for the week. It's heavy, but you haven't far to go and can manage. Along the way you cross paths with Monsieur Mourgues, who's out for a stroll. He offers to carry your basket back to your place; you accept. To do otherwise would offend him and besides, he's a delightful old Frenchman who resembles a modern day Saint Nick in a baggy, plaid pantacourt and Crocs. When you arrive at the gate, you thank Monsieur Mourgues for his help. He hands you the basket, touches his right hand lightly to his chest, bends ever so slightly and says, "Tout le plaisir est pour moi, madame." You thank him one more time, exchange bises and say goodbye smiling. (Monsieur Mourgues, over 75 years old, is ageless.)