Example: Il a essayé de noyer le poisson pour éviter la question difficile.
Definition
"Noyer le poisson" is a French expression meaning to deliberately confuse or mislead someone to avoid answering a difficult question or facing a problem directly. It involves creating distraction or ambiguity to obscure the truth or intention.
Translations
To evade the issue
Marear la perdiz
Om de kwestie heen draaien
Marejar la perdiu
Nebelkerzen werfen
Etymology
The phrase "Noyer le poisson" literally means 'to drown the fish.' It originates from the idea that fish live in water and cannot drown, so trying to drown a fish is an absurd act, symbolizing an attempt to confuse or mislead. Did you know? This humorous expression highlights the futility and trickery involved in evading the truth.
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"Noyer le poisson" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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To evade the issue