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View synonyms for French leave

French leave

[ french leev ]

noun

  1. Sometimes Offensive. a departure without saying goodbye, asking permission, or giving notice:

    During the Civil War, many men deserted or took French leave.

    Early in the wedding reception I had to take French leave to address a family crisis.



French leave

noun

  1. an unauthorized or unannounced absence or departure
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of French leave1

First recorded in 1765–75
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Word History and Origins

Origin of French leave1

C18: alluding to a custom in France of leaving without saying goodbye to one's host or hostess
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Example Sentences

On Friday hundreds of people, many waving Russian flags, marched toward France’s military base demanding the French leave.

On Friday hundreds of people marched toward France’s military base demanding the French leave while waving Russian flags.

Siaka Coulibaly, an analyst with Burkina Faso’s Center for Public Policy Monitoring by Citizens, warned of a “severe degradation of security” if the French leave, because African armies aren’t ready to fill the void.

My efforts at French leave me at once inert and exhausted, as though I’ve been dog-paddling in a pool of standing water.

The Islamist insurgents attacked the northern city of Timbuktu for the second time in a fortnight last week, promising to "open the gates of hell," when the French leave.

From Reuters

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