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 le Seigneur de La Palice: s'il n'était pas mort, il ferait encore envie."

("Here lies the Seigneur de 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