Qui vive
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Some French in a British wardiary or is this a common expression in the army?
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I have seen this expression in another diary before. It means:
When a sentinel guarding a French castle in days of yore cried, Qui vive? your life depended upon your answer - the right one was usually something like "Long live the king!" The question the sentinel was asking was "Long live who?" but the act of calling out apparently impressed English listeners more than the meaning of the phrase, because when they adopted it in the early 1700s they used qui vive to mean "alert." Nowadays, the term is most often used in the phrase on the qui vive, meaning "on the lookout."
Soldiers in France who were on duty during the night used this expression. Whenever they saw a figure approaching or heard some noise, they used to shout “qui vive”, meaning, “Who goes there?” or “Long live who?” The person approaching was expected to respond by saying, “vive le roi”, meaning, “Long live the king”.
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by
ral104
moderator, scientist
Funny how these phrases make their way into military parlance, isn't it?
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by
David_Underdown
moderator
In English usage it basically became an alternative way of referring to being on sentry duty or on the lookout,or more generally being alert, ready to challenge possible enemies
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