Idiom
take French leave
Meaning
To leave quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone; to slip out.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He took French leave from the boring meeting.”
“She didn't want to say goodbye to everyone, so she took French leave from the party.”
“Rather than endure another hour of tedious speeches, the ambassador took French leave and slipped out through the servants' entrance.”
Examples
simple
“He took French leave from the boring meeting.”
contextual
“She didn't want to say goodbye to everyone, so she took French leave from the party.”
complex
“Rather than endure another hour of tedious speeches, the ambassador took French leave and slipped out through the servants' entrance.”
Origin
From take + French leave, 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.
Key words
Related idioms
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