Un ange passe
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I would translate that from French as "An angel passes". Is it an idiom in French? If so, in what situation is it used? I can't think of an English idiom that sounds similar right now.
tzfujimino
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Yes, it's a comon idiom in French. When a group of people are in conversation and there is a sudden, possibly uncomfortable, silence, someone will say "un ange passe". This effectively breaks the silence. As far as I know there is no equivalent in English.
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I can't think of one. If there were a uncomfortable lapse in conversation, I might expect someone to eventually say "Uh oh. Awkward silence!" That might at least make a few people laugh and might spark off new conversation.
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The Spanish equivalent (word for word, but not in the same order - though it means the same) is pasa un ángel. I have a vague recollection of something like 'someone walked over my grave' - but when I look at that it seems ridiculous! 
(Can anyone else confirm or correct this?
b
(Can anyone else confirm or correct this?b
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TheParser
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***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Crickets chirp
"The idea is that you can only hear crickets when there are no other sounds, such as conversation or laughter. Often used to denote the awkward pause after a bad joke."
Source: Urban Dictionary.
*****
"An awkward silence filled the room. I could have heard a cricket chirp, had one been hiding in the corner."
Source: a novel by Staci McLaughlin in Google "books."
*****
Ten people are having a wonderful conversation, laughing, and drinking (orange juice).
Mona: Tony is handsome.
The nine other people voice their agreement.
Tony: And Mona is beautiful.
The nine other people voice their agreement.
Raul: TheParser is intelligent.
Total silence.
Someone then quietly says, "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
(Full disclosure: When I discussed this thread with someone, he told me about the "cricket chirp" idea. I had NEVER heard about it in my 78 years of life. So I then did some googling -- and learned something new.)
Crickets chirp
"The idea is that you can only hear crickets when there are no other sounds, such as conversation or laughter. Often used to denote the awkward pause after a bad joke."
Source: Urban Dictionary.
*****
"An awkward silence filled the room. I could have heard a cricket chirp, had one been hiding in the corner."
Source: a novel by Staci McLaughlin in Google "books."
*****
Ten people are having a wonderful conversation, laughing, and drinking (orange juice).
Mona: Tony is handsome.
The nine other people voice their agreement.
Tony: And Mona is beautiful.
The nine other people voice their agreement.
Raul: TheParser is intelligent.
Total silence.
Someone then quietly says, "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
(Full disclosure: When I discussed this thread with someone, he told me about the "cricket chirp" idea. I had NEVER heard about it in my 78 years of life. So I then did some googling -- and learned something new.)
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