# April Fools' Day tricks - after midday? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483 "2008-04-01T04:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/41 "2008-04-02T01:15:33Z")
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth] Canadian, and I have heard it. [/QUOTE] Me too. It didn’t stop _As It Happens_ from pulling one this evening, though. (They had a guy from the Mint claiming that they were pulling the $5 bill and replacing it with a $3 coin. They were soliciting suggestions from the public as to what to put on it, suggesting famous Canadian triumvirates. I phoned in suggesting they instead continue the wildlife theme and put a fish on it; we could call it the fishy, or in French, the _poisson d’avril._) ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/42 "2008-04-02T02:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Someone in the office pulled an - admittedly quite humorous - April Fools’ Day trick a little while ago. But naturally we all howled her down with “it’s after midday. You’re the fool”. She’s a Canadian doing some work experience here and said that she’d never heard of the “not after midday” business. Do any other countries also have this restriction on April Fools’ Day pranks? [/QUOTE] never heard of this restriction. US citizen all my life. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/43 "2008-04-02T03:38:02Z")
What if you work evenings and never see anyone until after noon? ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/44 "2008-04-02T03:49:35Z")
Then you do it after midnight the ‘day before’. Grew up in Ohio and Upstate New York, and it’s always been the rule for me. Then again, my parents are Brits, which might have had something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/45 "2008-04-02T03:54:02Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] What if you work evenings and never see anyone until after noon? [/QUOTE] You heave a big sigh of relief, that’s what. 😃 Unless you are the one who wants to do all the pranks. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/46 "2008-04-02T03:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] Then you do it after midnight the ‘day before’. Grew up in Ohio and Upstate New York, and it’s always been the rule for me. Then again, my parents are Brits, which might have had something to do with it. [/QUOTE] But if you work swing shift and get off at 11 and are home by midnight? Just t’ain’t fair to them. Never heard of this rule before. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/47 "2008-04-02T04:03:15Z")
[QUOTE=Celyn] No, the rule seems to be one of those U.K. Australia, and much of Canada, but not many others places rules. [/QUOTE] And New Zelaand too, I recall from when I lived there. So it’s a bit like calling 26 December Boxing Day… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/48 "2008-04-02T04:07:30Z")
I’ve only ever heard of it this year in relation to April Fool’s Day, the first instance where I saw it mentioned was on an Irish message board so it must be common enough here too. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/49 "2008-04-02T04:13:13Z")
It suddenly occurred to me to check Wikipedia. Its article on April Fools’ Day carries this statement: > [@](#): > > In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand, the April 1 tradition requires jokes to be played before midday: if somebody pulls an April Fools’ Trick after midday, then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/50 "2008-04-02T09:25:28Z")
Another Brit here and yes its the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/51 "2008-04-02T09:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] What if you work evenings and never see anyone until after noon? [/QUOTE] There are still plenty of opportunities to prank neighbours and random people at the other end of a [phone line](http://youtube.com/watch?v=cBK-06C-mpQ), aren’t there? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/52 "2008-04-02T09:51:57Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] There are still plenty of opportunities to prank neighbours and random people at the other end of a [phone line](http://youtube.com/watch?v=cBK-06C-mpQ), aren’t there? [/QUOTE] In NZ the before 12 rule seems to be the majority. Though my colleague who started on her family at 6am is just evil. In n ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/53 "2008-04-02T13:28:27Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Someone in the office pulled an - admittedly quite humorous - April Fools’ Day trick a little while ago. [/QUOTE] Am I the only one here curious as to what the actual prank was?? Fess up! ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/54 "2008-04-02T13:37:20Z")
FWIW yesterdays’ April Fool article in our local paper made the victims turn up at a local bar at 19 o’clock, and apparently nobody cried foul because of the time of day. ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/55 "2008-04-02T23:19:05Z")
Speaking as a teacher in Nova Scotia, Canada: April Fools’ Day ends at noon. No ifs, ands or buts. I can only stand so many lame attempts at practical jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483/56 "2008-04-03T02:04:03Z")
[QUOTE=jbarro] Speaking as a teacher in Nova Scotia, Canada: April Fools’ Day ends at noon. No ifs, ands or buts. I can only stand so many lame attempts at practical jokes. [/QUOTE] Bingo. My sense is that the “rule” was invented by parents (and/or teachers) to stop repetetive boring stuff from kids flogging the horse to death. Then the kids who were told “No pranks after noon” grew up with the rule and perpetuated it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-fools-day-tricks-after-midday/443483.md?page=2)