Raconter des salades is one of those French expressions which has a meaning that’s impossible to guess. The expression translates literally to “to tell salads” and means to tell stories, tall tales, to spin a yarn or simply “to lie”.
raconter des salades
to tell stories, tall tales, spin a yarn
Expression origin
The expression raconter des salades dates to the 19th century. A salad is a metaphor for several ingredients that when combined with some humor and falseness can pass as the truth.
Example sentences
This first example sentence uses the impersonal expression il faut, which translates literally to “it’s necessary”.
Il ne faut pas écouter toutes les histoires de Mathilde. Elle raconte des salades.
Don’t listen to Mathile’s stories. She’s spinning yarns.
Pierre adore parler de ses expériences dans la guerre mais je pense qu’il raconte des salades.
Pierre loves talking about his experience in the war but I think he’s telling tall tales.
Here are some similar expressions:
- Raconter des bobards – Literally to tell fibs
- Raconter des conneries – to B.S., talk nonsense
- Raconter des bêtises – to talk nonsense
Related lessons
Reference
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
