What Does “take French leave” mean?
Definition:
The phrase take French leave refers to the act of leaving a location or event without permission.
The origin of ‘take a French leave’
The first record of this idiom dates back to 1771. It appeared in the English language at a point when the English and French cultures were profoundly linked.
Interestingly, there is a French equivalent of this phrase: ‘filer à l’anglaise’. It literally means ‘to leave the English way’.
Example(s)
I am so bored – I think I might take French leave this afternoon to meet Kate.
The soldier faces heavy charges after he took a French leave just before the deadly operation.
The only thing I could do was to take French leave and get out of there before someone could notice my presence.
This idiom is in the nationalities category.
