IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchPar acquit de conscience
Meaning: To do something merely to be sure, so as to leave nothing on your conscience.
Literally: By acquittal of conscience
Example: “Par acquit de conscience, j'ai vérifié deux fois que le gaz était coupé.” — Just to be on the safe side, I checked twice that the gas was off.
English equivalent: Just to be on the safe side
Equivalents in other languages
English: just to be on the safe side
Origin: An acquit was the written discharge of a debt. Settling with your own conscience is treated the same way — you perform the pointless check so the account is closed and nothing can be held against you later.
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