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Familiar French Expression
| Meaning | at a rough guess, using guesswork; at random | |
| Literally | in the nose | |
| Register | familiar | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[oh peef] |
| IPA | [o pif]̃ | |
Usage notes: Pif is a familiar and somewhat rude word meaning “big nose,” and by extension just “nose.” Equivalents in American English and British English, respectively, are “schnoz” and “conk.”
So au pif literally means “in the nose,” which makes some sense: letting one’s nose provide guidance. But the more idiomatic equivalents of this expression are “at a rough guess” or “at random.”
Par exemple…
| Il y a une dizaine de livres au pif. | There are roughly ten books, I’d say there are about ten books. | |
| Au pif, je dirais qu’il a 25 ans. | I guess / I’d say he’s about 25. |
Synonyms
- à l’estime
- à peu près
- à vue de nez
- au jugé
- au pifomètre
- approximativement
- en gros
- environ
- grosso modo
- plus ou moins
Au pif can also mean "at random, without thinking."
Par exemple…
| Elle a choisi ses cours au pif. | She chose her classes at random. | |
| Il ne faut pas voter au pif. | You shouldn’t vote without thinking. |
Synonyms
- à l’aveuglette
- aléatoirement
- au hasard
- dans le tas
- en vrac
- sans réfléchir
Related expressions
- avoir du pif – to have a funny feeling; to have flair
- avoir quelqu’un dans le pif – to hate someone
- faire quelque chose au pif – to do something by guesswork
Related lessons
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