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French Proverb
| Meaning | Speak of the devil (and he appears) | |
| Literally | When one talks about the wolf (one sees its tail) | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation | [ka(n) to(n) parl du loo] | |
| IPA | [kã tɔ̃ paʁl dy lu] | |
Usage notes: Have you ever been talking about someone only to have them suddenly appear, almost as if you summoned them? In English, that phenomenon is acknowledged with the expression "speak of the devil (and he appears)," while in French, it’s quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue). The part in parentheses is rarely said out loud.
Par exemple…
Thérèse a beaucoup de soucis en ce moment, elle … ah, Thérèse, salut ! Quand on parle du loup ! Je ne savais que tu allais nous rejoindre ce soir.
Thérèse has a lot of problems at the moment, she … oh, Thérèse, hi! Speak of the devil! I didn’t know you were joining us tonight.
Variation: Quand on parle du loup, il sort du bois – literally, "When one talks about the wolf, he comes out of the woods"
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