Example: En voyant la police, il a pris la poudre d'escampette rapidement.
Definition
"Prendre la poudre d'escampette" means to quickly run away or escape from a situation, especially to avoid trouble or danger. It is often used informally to describe someone who leaves hastily, as in 'Seeing the police, he took off rapidly.'
Translations
To run away
Salir huyendo
Er vandoor gaan
Sortir corrents
Reißaus nehmen
Etymology
The phrase "prendre la poudre d'escampette" literally means 'to take the powder of escape.' It originated in 18th-century France where 'poudre' (powder) referred to gunpowder or a substance that could help someone flee quickly. 'Escampette' is a playful term related to escape. Did you know? The expression vividly evokes the idea of disappearing as fast as a puff of smoke or a powder explosion!
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"Prendre la poudre d'escampette" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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To run away