passer l'arme à gauche

French

Etymology

Literally, “pass the weapon to the left”. When right-handed soldiers needed to reload their rifle in the 17th century, they would hold it in their left hand to make it easier. However, long walks across battlefields were tedious and left reloading soldiers easy targets.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /pa.se l‿aʁ.m‿a ɡoʃ/, /pɑ.se l‿aʁ.m‿a ɡoʃ/

Verb

passer l’arme à gauche

  1. (informal) to kick the bucket, to die
    Synonyms: y passer, y rester

Further reading

Passer l’arme à gauche : signification et origine de l’expression, Linternaute.

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