Lapalissade
In several languages, Lapalissade means an utterly obvious truth — i.e. a truism or tautology — which produces a comical effect. It is derived from the name Jacques de la Palice.[1][2][3]
La Palice's epitaph reads[2][1]
- Ci gît Monsieur de La Palice: Si il' n'était pas mort, il ferait encore envie.
- ("Here lies the lord of La Palice: If he weren't dead, he would still be envied.")
These words were misread (accidentally or intentionally) as "...il ſerait [serait] encore en vie" ("...he would still be alive"), where the long s aids in the confusion. In the 16th century this misreading was incorporated into a popular satirical song, and in time many other variants developed, like
- ... que deux jours avant sa mort / il était encore en vie.
- ("... that two days before his death / he was still quite alive".)
- ... et quand il était tout nu, / il n'avait point de chemise.
- ("... and when he was stark naked, / he didn't wear a shirt").
In the early 18th century Bernard de la Monnoye collected over 50 of these humorous "La Palice" quatrains, and published them as a burlesque Song of La Palice. From that song came the French term lapalissade meaning an utterly obvious truth—i.e. a truism or tautology, and it was borrowed into several other languages.
In Spanish culture, an analog is a folkloric character Pedro Grullo (Perogrullo) with his perogrulladas:[4] Verdad de Pedro Grullo, que a la mano cerrada, la llama puño" ( The truth of Pedro Grullo, when his hand is closed, he calls it a fist).[5]
In English, other synonyms include "platitude" and "bromide".
See also "Captain Obvious" (popular culture).
References[edit]
- ^ a b Georges Lebouc, 2500 noms propres devenus communs, p. 389
- ^ a b Michel Chabanne (14 June 2007), comment on Encyclopédie des Expressions: Une vérité de La Palice / Une lapalissade. Accessed 15 April 2009.
- ^ Simon Baker, Surrealism, History and Revolution, p.19
- ^ [1]
- ^ A dictionary of Spanish proverbs, 1834, p. 382
