après moi le déluge

French
FWOTD – 19 April 2022

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally, “after me, the deluge”. Attributed to French King Louis XV[1] or his mistress Madame de Pompadour.[2] Sometimes quoted as après nous le déluge (“after us, the deluge”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /a.pʁɛ mwa l(ə) de.lyʒ/
  • Audio(file)

Phrase

après moi le déluge

  1. Used to indicate indifference to events that will happen after one’s death, or to indicate one’s own importance in maintaining order; after us the deluge
    • 1908 [1895], Charles Wagner, La vie simple‎; republished as Mary Louise Hendee, transl., The Simple Life, 1904:
      Les sociétés qui ont de trop grands besoins s’absorbent dans le présent, elles lui sacrifient les conquêtes du passé et lui immolent l’avenir. Après nous le déluge!
      When society has too great needs, it is absorbed with the present, sacrifices to it the conquests of the past, immolates to it the future. After us the deluge!

Descendants

See also

References
  1. “après moi le déluge”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. The Expression “Après moi le déluge”, and Its Classical Antecedents

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.