FrenchPrendre le maquis
Meaning: To go into hiding or join a resistance movement to escape authority or persecution.
Literally: To take the maquis
Example: “Plutôt que de payer ses dettes, le patron véreux a pris le maquis.” — Rather than pay his debts, the crooked boss went underground.
English equivalent: To go underground
Equivalents in other languages
English: go underground
Origin: The maquis is the dense, thorny scrubland of Corsica, so thick, says a source quoted by Littré, that even wild sheep cannot get through it. Corsican bandits and men fleeing a vendetta took refuge there, and prendre le maquis meant going on the run in it. During the Second World War, young Frenchmen dodging forced labor in Germany, from 1943, hid in the hills and forests, and the Resistance groups they formed took the name maquis; since then the phrase has also meant joining an armed underground.
More French idioms
- Ne pas en croire ses oreilles To be startled or disbelieving upon hearing something astonishing.
- Se composer le visage To adopt a serious or carefully studied expression suited to the circumstances.
- Prendre le train en marche To join opportunely in an action or endeavor already underway.
- Aiguiser ses couteaux To prepare oneself for conflict or confrontation.
- Passer le Rubicon To make a decisive, irrevocable commitment or choice with serious consequences.
- Être de mauvais poil To be in a bad mood or irritable disposition.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tête de mule An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.
- Casse-pieds A massive bore or pain in the neck — someone who wears you down with their irritating way…
Keep exploring