IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

cherchez la femme

Meaning: There is probably a woman behind this situation.

Example: “The minister resigned for "personal reasons"? Cherchez la femme.”

Origin: French for "look for the woman," popularized by Alexandre Dumas's novel The Mohicans of Paris (1854), where a police chief repeats it. It was borrowed into English as a knowing phrase.

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