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Take french leave
Definitions
- 1 To leave quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone; to slip out. dated, idiomatic, informal, intransitive
"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; […]"
- 2 To desert or be temporarily absent from duty or service without permission; to go absent without leave (AWOL). dated, euphemistic, idiomatic, informal, intransitive, specifically
"That officer […] reminded Burton of the necessity there was that all the officers of the Spitfire should hold themselves in readiness, as a court-martial was sure to be ordered relative to the loss of that ship: that order might possibly be telegraphed down, and he must therefore decline granting any leave, except for a few hours. Here was a disappointment with a vengeance. The first suggestion of the moment was one altogether unworthy of him, which was to incur the imputation of adopting Gallican habits, and taking, what is known by the term, "French leave.""
Etymology
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.
See also for "take french leave"
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