on the qui vive

Idioms and Phrases

On the alert, vigilant, as in The police have been warned to be on the qui vive for terrorists . This expression, containing the French words for “[long] live who?” originated as a sentinel's challenge to determine a person's political sympathies. The answer expected of allies was something like vive le roi (“long live the king”). It was taken over into English with its revised meaning in the early 1700s, the first recorded use being in 1726.

Example Sentences

“Like hungry little foxes,” her co-conspirators are “always on the qui vive, looking to squeeze out every bit of fun they could in the thicket of rules and regulations.”

From New York Times

She looked quite stunning as she walked across the dining room to the table, not at all unlike a girl on the qui vive appropriate to a big college weekend.

From Literature

Madeline Grover's breathless story had set every one on the qui vive, and for several minutes everyone was wondering what all the rest would do.

From Project Gutenberg

What she might say next was never certain, and the uncertainty kept him always on the qui vive.

From Project Gutenberg

"You see, they would instantly detect any movement of ours down the hill; and by the time we got to the camp the enemy would be on the qui vive."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• afraid
• agitated
• anguished
• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• fearful
• impatient
• insecure
• irritable
• jittery
• nervous
• precarious
• restless
• shaky
• strained
• suspicious
• tense
• troubled
• uncomfortable