April Fools' joke
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April Fools' joke
A joke or prank that is traditionally played on someone on April 1. The person who falls for it is often told with the exclamation 'April, April!'
Ich habe meinem Kollegen erzählt, die Kantine sei heute geschlossen – es war nur ein Aprilscherz.
I told my colleague that the cafeteria was closed today—it was only an April Fools' joke.
The word is made up of the month 'April' and 'der Scherz' (joke, prank). The 's' in between is a linking s, which connects the two words and indicates possession, so literally a 'Scherz des Aprils' (joke of April).
Mein bester Aprilscherz war, als ich meinen Eltern erzählte, ich hätte im Lotto gewonnen.
My best April Fools' joke was when I told my parents I had won the lottery.
Common verbs used with 'Aprilscherz' (April Fools' joke) are 'sich einen Aprilscherz erlauben' (to play an April Fools' joke) or 'jemandem einen Streich spielen' (to play a prank on someone). If you believe the joke, you 'fällt man darauf herein' (fall for it).
Pass auf, dass du heute nicht auf einen Aprilscherz hereinfällst!
Be careful not to fall for an April Fools' joke today!
When someone has fallen for an 'Aprilscherz' (April Fools' joke), the joke is often revealed with the exclamation 'April, April!' This exclamation is a fixed part of the tradition on April 1.
Er glaubte mir, dass die Schule ausfällt, bis ich laut „April, April!“ rief.
He believed me that school was canceled until I loudly shouted 'April, April!'
A very common expression is 'jemanden in den April schicken' (to send someone into April). It means to successfully trick someone with a joke on April 1.
Ich habe meine Schwester in den April geschickt, indem ich ihr eine falsche SMS schrieb.
I played an April Fools' joke on my sister by sending her a fake text message.
joke
Der Scherz is generally a funny statement or action that is not meant seriously. Der Aprilscherz is such a joke, traditionally made on April 1. So for a joke made on any other day, only the general term fits.
Am 1. April war die erfundene Nachricht ein Aprilscherz unter Kollegen.
On April 1, the fake news story was an April Fools' joke among colleagues.
Am 31. März war die erfundene Nachricht nur ein Scherz unter Kollegen.
On March 31, the fake news story was just a joke among colleagues.
