April Fools' Day

noun

1. April 1, a day when practical jokes or tricks are played on unsuspecting people.

Word History and Origins

Origin of April Fools' Day¹

First recorded in 1745–50; the variant All Fools' Day is first recorded in 1700–05

More About April Fools' Day

What is April Fools' Day?

April Fools’ Day is a lighthearted holiday that people observe by playing pranks and practical jokes.

Such tricks may be minor (like secretly swapping the ink cartridge in someone’s 1 mm-point pen with a .38 mm-point one) or elaborate (like broadcasting a fake documentary about people harvesting spaghetti from “spaghetti trees”).

The term April fool is used to refer to a prank played on April Fools’ Day or to the person who’s the victim of such a prank (the “fool”).

After playing an April Fools’ Day prank, it’s common for the prankster to say, “April fool!” or “April fools!”

April Fools’ Day is also commonly spelled April Fool’s Day and April Fools Day. It can also be called All Fools’ Day, but this is much less common.

When is April Fools' Day?

April Fools’ Day is always on April 1, though in Antarctica it’s observed on March 32.

Where does April Fools' Day come from?

The first records of the term April Fools’ Day come from the mid-1700s (it’s first recorded in the form April-Fool Day in 1748). The term All Fools’ Day (humorously modeled on All Saints’ Day) is thought to be slightly older, with the first records of it coming from the early 1700s.

The ultimate origin of the tradition of April Fools’ Day is uncertain, but April 1 has been observed as a day of pranks in different places in Europe since at least the 1500s. The practice of playing pranks on April 1 may derive from the French custom known as poisson d’avril, which literally means “April fish” and involves pinning a paper fish to a person’s back (classic).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to April Fools’ Day?

• April Fool’s Day (alternate spelling)
• April Fools Day (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for April Fools’ Day?

• All Fools’ Day

What are some words that share a root or word element with April Fools’ Day? 

• April fool

What are some words that often get used in discussing April Fools’ Day?

• prank
• practical joke
• joke
• trick
• hoax
• fake
• holiday

How is April Fools' Day used in real life?

April Fools’ Day is known as a lighthearted holiday during which people engage in harmless pranks. But it’s also dreaded by some as a day on which some people take pranks too far.

For April Fools day this year, I am going to swap “vice versa” for “vis a vis” in conversations. It’s going to be so good!

— LatronMom (@cindylatronica) March 19, 2021

let’s be clear, april fools day pranks by brands are always a bad idea

— Gavin Purcell (@gavinpurcell) April 1, 2020

My best April fools day joke was getting my uncle to call a place to speak to a person named Seeh Liaon that place was the zoo

— Roy Miller III (@Roy_Miller_III) April 1, 2013

 

 

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True or False?

April Fools’ Day is sometimes called All Fools’ Day.