French leave
idiom

- an informal, hasty, or secret departure

- absence from work or duty without permission

- an unauthorized or unannounced absence or departure

Merriam-Webster / The Oxford Dictionary / Collins Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

“French leave” is first recorded in 1771 and was born at a time when the English and French cultures were closely entwlined. The phrase jokingly describes "going away from a reception or party, without taking leave of the host or hostess," as was prevalent in 18th century France and sometimes imitated in England.

One theory is that “French leave” may have its roots some 20 years earlier. On the 8th of September 1755, 140 French soldiers were captured near Lake George in New York and ferried to an island in the lake. The French, knowing the area better than the British, waited until near dawn and quietly slipped ashore. Though the operation hardly lasted a day, the island has since been named "Prison Island".

To British and American soldiers serving in World War I, “French leave” meant the same as AWOL (Absent Without Leave) meaning to abandon one’s ship or army post without permission.

Amusingly, in France, "to take French leave" is called filer à l'anglaise, meaning "to slip away like an Englishman".

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MORE NATIONALITY IDIOMS

- to go DUTCH = to split the bill in a restaurant between everyone who ate together.

- DUTCH courage = alcohol-induced confidence before have to do something challenging.

- It’s all GREEK to me = used to describe something you don’t understand or have no knowledge about.

- CHINESE whispers = originally from a children’s game, this metaphor refers to mistakes made in information passed from one person to another.

- Pardon my FRENCH = used to apologise before (or after) we say something very rude.

- A MEXICAN Standoff = used when two groups can not agree on what to do next.

- A Young TURK = used to describe a young rebel who can’t be controlled.

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

"It's getting late, do you think it'd be OK to take FRENCH LEAVE from this party?"

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