FrenchBon vent !
Meaning: Safe travels — or, said in the right tone, good riddance.
Literally: Fair wind!
Example: “Il part travailler chez le concurrent ? Bon vent !” — He's leaving to work for the competition? Good riddance!
English equivalent: Good riddance
Equivalents in other languages
Polish: krzyżyk na drogę Literally: Little cross on the road
English: good riddance
Origin: It comes from the age of sail, and it started out entirely sincere: the crew is aboard and about to weigh anchor, and the people left on the quay wish them the wind they will need for an easy passage. From there it broadened into a general goodbye. The second sense is the same words with the warmth removed. Said sharply to someone who has outstayed their welcome, it becomes an antiphrasis inviting them to go and find that wind immediately and put it to use getting somewhere else. Nothing in the phrase distinguishes the two — the entire difference is carried by tone, which is worth remembering before saying it to a colleague.
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