Poisson d’avril – French expression

Poisson d'avril - French expression

French expression What does the French expression Poisson d'avril mean? How is it used in a sentence?

Poisson d'avril - April fish - is what French people say for 'April fools’ day'. It's the tradition in France to play practical jokes or to stage  pranks on friends and shout Poisson d'avril when they discover the joke. Often, the prank is just a paper fish taped on the back of your friend, when you pretend to give them a pat on the back. Very funny. It’s unclear where the fish idea comes from. It might root in the fact that April 1st comes during lent, and fish would be a good present to give as a new year’s gift. The new year used to start on April 1st. In any case, here is a great poisson d'avril I heard on the daily news a few years back. A lot of people thought it was true. Big chaos, I tell you.

* « La ville de Paris a décidé de déplacer la Tour Eiffel à Marseille. »

* "The city of Paris decided to move the Eiffel Tower to Marseilles." (Marseille is a city on the South of France)

Regardez ce poisson d'avril

Related: French expressions with fish . French fish list . French seafood . French months .

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