French leave en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /fɹɛnt͡ʃ ˈliv/ (General-American)
- /fɹɛnt͡ʃ ˈliːv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From French (adjective) + leave (noun), apparently from a French custom, already recorded in the 18th century, of leaving from receptions or other events without formally announcing one’s departure to the host or hostess. Compare Spanish irse a la francesa and Portuguese sair à francesa (“go in the French manner”) but also the otherwise ubiquitous attribution of this behaviour to the English as with French filer à l’anglaise (“leave in the English manner”), Italian filarsela all'inglese, Polish wyjść po angielsku, etc.
Meanings
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(dated, idiomatic, informal, uncountable) A departure taken quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone.
As for Ditton, after all his courting, and his compliment, he ſtole avvay an Iriſhman's bride, and took a French leave of me and his maſter; […]
1771, [Tobias Smollett], “To Mrs. Mary Jones, at Brambleton-hall”, in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker […], volume II, London: […] W. Johnston, […]; and B. Collins, […], →OCLC, page 226:
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(dated, euphemistic, idiomatic, informal, specifically, uncountable) Desertion or temporary absence from duty or service without permission; absence without leave, AWOL.
he may have felt a particular need to mitigate the responsibility of those who shirked their duty, for as he wrote that letter he had just returned from French leave himself.
2010, William Marvel, The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln’s War, page 10:
Deriveds
take a French leave · take French leave
Relateds
slip out · by your leave · duck out · sneak out
Synonyms
Irish goodbye · French exit · AWOL · disappearing act
Translations (17)
ru ухо́д по-англи́йски (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · sv bondpermission (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · es despedida a la francesa (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · de einen Polnischen machen (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · fi häipyminen (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · hu angolosan távozik (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · it andarsene all'inglese (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · pl wyjście po angielsku (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · de französischer Abschied (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · fi haihtuminen (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · fr filer à l'anglaise (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · sv bondpermis (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · pt saída à francesa (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · cmn 不辭而別 /不辞而别 (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · de grußloser Abschied, heimliche Abfahrt etc. (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · it filarsela all’inglese (departure taken quietly and unnoticed) · fi liukeneminen (departure taken quietly and unnoticed)