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Noyer le poisson

Noyer le poisson

Noyer le poisson is a French idiom that translates literally to “to drown the fish” and means to evade the issue or sidestep the question. French translations is éluder or détourner la conversation (to elude or divert the conversation).

Noyer le poisson

To evade the issue, sidestep the question

Noyer le poisson (to drown the fish) - French idiom - To sidestep the question, evade the issue.

Example sentences

Arrête de noyer le poissson. As-tu couché avec cette femme ou non ?

Stop sidestepping the question. Did you sleep with this woman or not?

Le candidat refuse de répondre à la question. Il noie le poisson.

The candidate refuses to answer the question. He’s evading the issue.

Expression origin

This expression dates back to the the 20th century. It makes reference to hooking a fish and keeping it in and out of the water in order to exhaust it.

More animal expressions

Reference

French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson

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David Issokson
David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven 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 lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven 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 lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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