IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchPrendre la tangente
Meaning: To slip away, or to dodge a question.
Literally: To take the tangent
Example: “Voyant arriver le contrôleur, le resquilleur a pris la tangente.” — Seeing the ticket inspector coming, the fare dodger beat a hasty retreat.
English equivalent: To beat a hasty retreat
Other ways to say this
- French: Prendre ses jambes à son cou Literally: To take one's legs around one's neck
Hindi: नौ दो ग्यारह होना (nau do gyaarah hona) Literally: To become nine, two, eleven
Russian: Делать ноги (Delat' nogi) Literally: To make legs
Ukrainian: Дати драла (Daty drala) Literally: To give a bolt
Italian: battere i tacchi Literally: To beat one's heels
English: beat a hasty retreat- English: take to one's heels
Origin: A tangent touches a curve and leaves it immediately, never to return. The phrase came into general French from the slang of the École polytechnique, where the mathematics was to hand.
More French idioms
- Une tour d'ivoire A position of deliberate detachment from ordinary life.
- La tournée des grands-ducs A lavish night out taking in every fashionable establishment.
- Un coup de Trafalgar A sudden catastrophic reversal, often felt to be underhand.
- Doré sur tranche Extremely wealthy; luxuriously appointed.
- Le bout du tunnel The first sign that a long difficulty is ending.
- Brûler ses vaisseaux To destroy any possibility of retreat.
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