passer l'arme à gauche
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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
Verb
- (informal) to kick the bucket, to die
Further reading
Passer l’arme à gauche : signification et origine de l’expression, Linternaute.
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