Je vous fais une farce ou vous payez la tournée

I just got trick-or-treated for the first time in seven years living in Switzerland ! The only problem was that when I opened my front door, the young gentleman standing there - in a sheet into which two holes had been hastily cut a few minutes before his appearance on my doorstep, I suspect - did not know what to say !

T'as pas quelque chose à dire ? asked his father, standing behind him, providing moral support and gamely trying to keep a set of plastic fangs in his mouth as he spoke.

Silence.

Trick or treat, par exemple ? quoth the PO.

Silence.

Oui, c'est ça, replied the father eventually. Mais on ne sait pas comment le dire en français.

Once I had seen the nervous ghost off on his way with a couple of chocolate madeleines - fortunately, I had not eaten the whole packet in one sitting as is my usual Sunday wont - I dashed naturally straight to Google for illumination. And sure enough, I was directed straightaway to this site, which provides all of the seasonal vocabulary you could wish for - other than a cast-iron equivalent of trick or treat.

By the way, the Boy Wonder had better bone up on all this - there'll be a test when I see him next week.

Comments

[The Fool on the Hill]

Lazy as I am, I tend not to comment, but as I had the opportunity to ease the PO's mind on this particular conundrum I thought I would break through my usual timidity and post.

I was fairly certain that the correct French term was "Farces ou Friandises", but just to make sure I turned to two consultants who have plenty of previous experience in terrorising French speaking neighbourhoods in return for sweets. I am told (and this has cost me a good amount of the "friandise") that the correct incantation is "Friandise ou Bétise", which does have certain ring to it.

FOTH

[The Paternal Optimist]

Many thanks, FOTH - mystery solved. Knowing the two consultants to whom you refer, I have no doubt concerning the accuracy of the information you have provided. Though I trust that at this late hour they are safely tucked up in bed and not out terrorising the neighbourhood.

PO

[lannaveigoDig]

A good site. I'm offtopic, where you can buy a good telescope?
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