ni vu ni connu

English translation: as if it never happened

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:ni vu ni connu
English translation:as if it never happened
Entered by: Nicole Acher

17:29 Dec 12, 2018
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
French term or phrase: ni vu ni connu
Là, Mike reprendra la valise et vous vous séparerez. Ni vu ni connu. Est-ce clair ?
Frank Gerace
United States
Local time: 04:08
as if it never happened
Explanation:
literal translation is "neither seen nor known"; in this context, the two individuals are to pretend they don't know anything about each other, or what occurred.
Selected response from:

Nicole Acher
United States
Local time: 04:08
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7as if it never happened
Nicole Acher
3 +6with no-one any the wiser
Tony M
4 -1Scot-free/leave no clues/unnoticed/unseen
Nesrine Echroudi
3 -2out of sight. Out of mind
Verginia Ophof


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
as if it never happened


Explanation:
literal translation is "neither seen nor known"; in this context, the two individuals are to pretend they don't know anything about each other, or what occurred.


    Reference: http://https://context.reverso.net/translation/french-englis...
Nicole Acher
United States
Local time: 04:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M
3 mins
  -> Thanks Tony

agree  philgoddard
25 mins
  -> Thanks Phil

agree  Trevino Translations (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks Trevino

agree  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
7 hrs
  -> Thank you Sandra& Kenneth

agree  GILOU
11 hrs
  -> Thank you Gilou

agree  Katarina Peters
1 day 3 hrs
  -> Thanks Katarina

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
1 day 5 hrs
  -> Thank you Yvonne
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
with no-one any the wiser


Explanation:
Funny, we use this expression all the time, yet I've never stopped ebfore to thing of an actual equivalent.

Of course it means literally "neither seen nor recognized" — but that's certainly not the way we'd express it in EN!

Tony M
France
Local time: 09:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yolanda Broad
22 mins
  -> Thanks, Yolanda!

agree  Gillian Smithers
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Gillian!

agree  Kevin Oheix: Or "no one will be the wiser / no one will know", perhaps.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Kevin!

agree  JohnMcDove: Seems the best option for the context.
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, John!

agree  ph-b (X)
20 hrs
  -> Merci, ph-b !

agree  katsy
1 day 45 mins
  -> Thanks, Katsy!
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Scot-free/leave no clues/unnoticed/unseen


Explanation:
Leaving no sign
Here today gone tomorrow


    https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/04/15/scot-free-origin/
Nesrine Echroudi
Tunisia
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: 'scot free' and 'here today, gone tomorrow' are totally different idioms which would not be suitable here; your other 2 suggestions are closer, but I don't feel would probably be suitable here — depending, of course, on the rest of the surrounding context
7 mins
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -2
out of sight. Out of mind


Explanation:
just another suggestion

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 02:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Daryo: Too much different from the ST // the ST is about meeting without anyone noticing, not about some ex-flame being forgotten after moving far away.
1 hr

disagree  Tony M: Agree with Daryo! This is a quite different idiom, too far removed from the s/t.
8 hrs
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