Pronunciation: [leu fo(n) deu leh ray freh]
Meaning: ~there's a chill in the air
Literal translation: the bottom/back of the air is cool
Register: normal
Notes: Le fond de l'air est frais is a lovely French expression with no real English equivalent. It refers to pleasant, spring-like weather, when it feels warm enough that you might think summer isn't far off. But it's deceptively nice: in fact, the air is colder than it seems, with a superficial warmth hiding the cool air "behind" it. So le fond de l'air est frais is the weather equivalent of la beauté est quelque chose de superficiel (beauty is only skin deep).
The English translation "there's a chill in the air" isn't quite accurate, as it refers to a more palpable coldness than the French expression. In other words, when there's a chill in the air, everyone can feel it, and most people don't even consider putting on summer clothes. In contrast, when le fond de l'air est frais, the coldness is less obvious, leading some people to believe that it's warm enough to dress for summer—and end up regretting it.
- Ah, le soleil brille ! Je vais mettre un short.
- Fais gaffe, le fond de l'air est frais.
- Ah, the sun is out! I'm going to put shorts on.
- Be careful, it's colder than it seems.
Variations: le fond de l'air est froid, le fond de l'air reste froid
Jeux de mots
- Le fond de l'air effraie - roughly "there are scary things in the air," you might see this in articles about pollution or politics.
- Le fond de l'air est chaud - a little joke you might hear in warmer climes.
- Le fond de l'air est rouge - title of a 1977 essay film. Literally, it means "the back of the air is red," though a better translation might be "the essence of the air is red," implying that the socialist movement didn't actually exist. The official translation of the film's title is A Grin Without a Cat, a reference to the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
- Le fond de l'air est gris, le fond de l'air est-il vraiment respirable ?... a Google search will reveal many other word plays
