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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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French leave
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This 18C phrase is now used to mean absence without permission and is therefore assumed to be critical of the French. But it originally described a French social custom which was widely admired – that of slipping away discreetly from a large gathering, without disturbing it by taking leave of the host and hostess. The French, whether ironically or not, return the compliment; the equivalent phrase for an unauthorized departure is filer à l'anglaise (making off in the English way).
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