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noyer le poisson

By David Issokson • August 27, 2020

The French expression “noyer le poisson” translates literally to “to drown the fish”.

English meaning:

to evade the issue
to sidestep the question

French meaning:

détourner la conversation – to divert the conversation

Example sentence:

Arrête d’noyer le poissson. As-tu couché avec cette femme ou non ? Stop sidestepping the question. Did you sleep with this woman or not?

more expressions

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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