Francophonie· medium
faire une queue de poisson
“to make a fish tail”
Meaning
To swerve in sharply in front of another car
Explanation
The manoeuvre takes its name from the sudden, tapering sweep of a fish's tail as the car darts back in ahead of you.
Example
Le chauffeur m'a fait une queue de poisson en se rabattant juste devant moi.
The driver cut sharply in front of me right after overtaking.
Origin
The image comes from the shape of a fish's tail, since cutting back in front of another car after overtaking has that same sudden, tapering sweep.
Source
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