être du voyage
Meaning: Being involved in an illicit or questionable scheme.
Language: French
Literally: to be of the journey
Category: Daily Life
Origin: No source documents a distinct criminal-slang history for this particular sense — the shift looks like the ordinary, unremarkable kind a phrase makes on its own. Être du voyage means straightforwardly to be one of the group making a trip together, sharing in whatever the journey involves; extending that to being one of the people in on a scheme is the same idea applied to an undertaking that isn't a physical journey at all; the word voyage itself, worth noting, comes from Latin viaticum — provisions and money set aside for a trip — by way of via, road.
More idioms — Daily Life
- faire le gendarme — Acting authoritarian or enforcing rules with excessive zeal.
- irse por los cerros de Úbeda — To digress or wander off-topic during conversation without purpose or reason.
- 소 잃고 외양간 고친다 (So ilkko oeyanggan gochinda) — Taking preventive action only after suffering loss; closing the stable door after the hor…
- 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 (Baekjijangdo matdeulmyeon natda) — Cooperation and teamwork make even difficult tasks easier; many hands make light work.
- работать спустя рукава (rabotat' spustya rukava) — To work carelessly, half-heartedly, without proper effort or attention.
- Φέρνω νερό στο μύλο κάποιου — Unwittingly help someone achieve their own goals while thinking you're working against th…
More French idioms
- avoir des étoiles dans les yeux — Being dreamy, hopeful, or enchanted by romantic ideals.
- faire un couac — Making an embarrassing mistake or producing a discordant sound.
- Quand les poules auront des dents — Never — it describes something that will simply never happen.
- Il y a anguille sous roche — Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
- Ménager la chèvre et le chou — To try to please both sides of a conflict without committing to either.
- Avoir la gueule de bois — To be hungover.
From our proverbs
- No man is an island — Humans need connection with others.
- If the shoe fits, wear it — Accept criticism that accurately applies to you.
- He who hesitates is lost — Indecision leads to missed opportunities.