FrenchUne lapalissade
Meaning: A statement so obvious it is comic — a truism.
Literally: A La Palice-ism
Example: “« Quand il pleut, le sol est mouillé » : merci pour cette lapalissade.” — "When it rains, the ground gets wet": thanks, Captain Obvious.
English equivalent: Captain Obvious
Origin: Named after Jacques de La Palice, a French marshal killed at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. His soldiers' tribute said that a quarter of an hour before his death he was still worthy of envy (il faisait encore envie), meaning he fought to the last. Read or sung as il serait encore en vie (he would still be alive), the line became the most famous statement of the obvious in French. His name turned into an ordinary noun, une lapalissade; the longer form, une vérité de La Palice (a La Palice truth), means the same thing but is much less common.
Equivalents in other languages
English: Captain Obvious
More French idioms
- Une tempête dans un verre d'eau A great commotion over something trivial.
- Contre vents et marées In the face of every obstacle.
- Autant en emporte le vent Said of promises and words that will come to nothing.
- Aller à vau-l'eau To fall into ruin; to drift towards collapse.
- Se mettre au vert To retreat to the countryside to rest or lie low.
- Une volée de bois vert A severe and public dressing-down.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tu as du chien You have a certain irresistible magnetism — a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people in.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.
- Tu as le vent en poupe Everything is going your way — you're riding a wave of momentum and success.
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