To take French leave
Preserved but no longer current.
To take without asking leave or giving any equivalent ; also, to leave a party, house, or neighbourhood with- out bidding good-bye to anyone; to slip away unnoticed. This kind of backhanded compli- ment to our neighbours used to be very common (cp. "French gout" for venereal disease), and many objectionable things or practices have been called "French.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “To take French leave” mean?
To take without asking leave or giving any equivalent ; also, to leave a party, house, or neighbourhood with- out bidding good-bye to anyone; to slip away unnoticed. This kind of backhanded compli- ment to our neighbours used to be very common (cp. "French gout" for venereal disease), and many objectionable things or practices have been called "French.
Is “To take French leave” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.