FrenchN'y voir que du feu
Meaning: To be completely taken in; not to notice a thing, especially a trick played right in front of one.
Literally: To see nothing there but fire
Example: “Il a remplacé le vase cassé par une copie et sa mère n'y a vu que du feu.” — He swapped the broken vase for a copy and his mother was none the wiser.
English equivalent: None the wiser
Other ways to say this
English: have the wool pulled over your eyes- French: Tomber dans le panneau Literally: To fall into the panel
Origin: The image is of someone dazzled by a bright flame, who can make out nothing else. Beyond that, the history is uncertain. The expression is usually dated to around the 18th century; Littré linked it to the flashes one sees after a blow to the head, and popular accounts tell of executioners hiding a quietly strangled prisoner in the smoke of the pyre while the crowd saw only fire — a colorful story with no solid evidence behind it. The simplest reading remains the likeliest: a glare that blinds you to what is really going on.
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