Qui vive

trishasaffron

My parents used to use this phrase when I was growing up - it seems to mean "who goes there". Does anyone know its derivation?

Collie D

I think that's quo vadis?

Pighead

Pighead can't be sure but he thinks it may derive from France.

Pighead

Collie D wrote: »

I think that's quo vadis?

Listen pal, the girl knows what shes talking about. She's the one who heard her parents saying it. Why would you doubt the authenticity of what shes saying? Are you trying to impress the "female" boardsies by showing you have a flair for French?

Anyway lets end all this awkwardness and apologise to trisha for doubting the veracity of her statement.

Loomis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qui_vive
Any use?

trishasaffron

I had seen the wiki entry - my parents used to use it in the sense of "yer man's on the qui vive". I wonder if they picked it up working in London after WW2. Have asked other friends with parents of an age but they don't recognise the phrase. Anyone ever heard it used?

Collie D

Pighead wrote: »

Are you trying to impress the "female" boardsies by showing you have a flair for French?

On the contrary. Quo Vadis is actually Latin

EDIT That would have sounded better if I had said "Au contraire"

Pighead

Collie D wrote: »

On the contrary. Quo Vadis is actually Latin

EDIT That would have sounded better if I had said "Au contraire"

The French Language comes from Latin so its all related sunshine. trisha still awaits her apology. Dépêchez vers le haut de vous la grenouille tardive.

Collie D

Pighead wrote: »

The French Language comes from Latin so its all related sunshine. trisha still awaits her apology. Dépêchez vers le haut de vous la grenouille tardive.

Your French is either far superior to mine or just sh*t. Did oyu just ask me to send the frog upwards towards me?

Pighead

Collie D wrote: »

Your French is either far superior to mine or just sh*t. Did oyu just ask me to send the frog upwards towards me?

You got that wrong Collie D. But Pighead shall not hold a grudge against you for doing so. As the great George Soros once said "Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes."

Collie D

So enlighten me...

Pighead

Collie D wrote: »

So enlighten me...

It means: Hurry up you tardy frog.

papillon66

qui vive...doesn't make any sense in French neither...maybe it's a short cut for "qui vivra verra"(translated in English will be :who lives we'll see...in proper English I suppose it would be we'll see)...

or maybe it's a shortcut for something else but as good as my French can be...I don't have a clue

It should maybe just take it as it is , 2 words that mean anything you want:D

Collie D

Ah I think I translated too literally

Kanoe

http://www.answers.com/qui+vive&r=67

never heard it before, must be Dublin thing

on the qui vive

1. On the alert; vigilant: “a loathsome Dublin politico who is on the qui vive for . . . terrorists” (Julian Moynahan).

papillon66

ok hold on a second...it means someone on the move, someone who is expecting something to happen...

Kanoe

papillon66 wrote:

ok hold on a second...it means someone on the move, someone who is expecting something to happen...

The noun qui vive has one meaning:

Meaning #1: condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
Synonym: alert

ambro25

With reference to the opening post, it could have been "qui va là?" (the 'standard' form for "who goes there?", corresponding the latin challenge 'quo vadis' mentioned earlier)

I'm French myself (pms only, Laydeees ), and I've never heard the expression on it's own.

The expression is usually embedded in a sentence such as "il n'y a pas âme qui vive ici" ("there is no living soul around here", or more literally so you can see the correspondence of terms: "there is no soul that (or which) lives around here").

EDIT : [pedant] "qui vive" is not a noun, it's an expression, made up of a subject (qui = who) and a verb (vive = living) [/pedant]

papillon66

ambro25 wrote: »

With reference to opening post, it could have been "qui va là?" (the 'standard' form for "who goes there?")

I'm French myself (pms only, Laydeees ), and I've never heard the expression on it's own.

The expression is usually embedded in a sentence such as "il n'y a pas âme qui vive ici" ("there is no living soul around here").

It comes from the sentence...etre sur le qui vive

ambro25

papillon66 wrote: »

It comes from the sentence...etre sur le qui vive

Ah, yes, that one. Gawd that's ould French. It means "to be on your guard"

Kanoe

Joyce made a reference to it in Ulysses, maybe it got picked up from there and integrated into dublin slang? Dunno really but it does seem to have been in use prior to the war

Stephen of course started rather dizzily and stopped to return the compliment. Mr Bloom actuated by motives of inherent delicacy inasmuch as he always believed in minding his own business moved off but nevertheless remained on the qui vive with just a shade of anxiety though not funkyish in the least.

It wasn't me!

"Quo vadis" is "Where are you going".

EamonnKeane

zxy wrote: »

Joyce made a reference to it in Ulysses, maybe it got picked up from there and integrated into dublin slang? Dunno really but it does seem to have been in use prior to the war

Yeah, cos all the skangers read 700-page modernist novels on the 46A.

Joyce borrowed the phrase from Dublin slang.

Collie D

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Yeah, cos all the skangers read 700-page modernist novels on the 46A.

Joyce borrowed the phrase from Dublin slang.

Interesting that you equate Dublin slang with skangerism, me auld flower

EDIT Joyce is over-rated IMO. Read by people who haven't a clue what he is on about in the pretence of seeming intelligent

Kanoe

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Yeah, cos all the skangers read 700-page modernist novels on the 46A.

Joyce borrowed the phrase from Dublin slang.

I was referring to it in the sense that it was written during a time of civil war in Ireland and the literal meaning looks like one which could have been adapted to general usage at the time, considering its political/military origins and contrary to popular belief, it wasnt skangers organising the uprisings

It wasn't me!

Collie D wrote: »

Interesting that you equate Dublin slang with skangerism, me auld flower

EDIT Joyce is over-rated IMO. Read by people who haven't a clue what he is on about in the pretence of seeming intelligent

Ulysses, I'll agree, is vastly overrated. (Personally, for stream of conscious, I think Moby Dick was far superior) I've heard his other stuff is far more accessible, straightforward and enjoyable, but haven't read it myself.

giddyup

Qui vive was equivalent to who goes there meaning who lives? as in who lives long? as in long live [insert person whom you hope lives long or give the appearance of same].

A sentry/guard asking qui vive was asking a person what their political affiliation was. I suppose if the person was stupid or bould enough to give the wrong answer they got at best a slap and at worst impaled on the nearest pike.

Only guessing but I'd say the Dublin slang 'he was on the qui vive' probably meant 'he was on the alert' but was a little more loaded i.e. on the alert for a specific thing or on the alert to find something out about a person.

trishasaffron

Great stuff - thanks for all the replies. I was reminded of the phrase when I was reading an Agatha Christie novel in French!! (didn't want to admit that).

I'm so pleased to get the Irish references espec Ulysses. I had the impression that my parents used it for someone who was a bit of a "me feiner" i.e out for himself and also perhaps a man looking out for a woman - "he looks like he's on the qui vive". Neither parent was from Dublin - both townies though.

Maybe I should ask Terry Dolan when he recovers (see today's health supplement in the IT).

Any chance of resuscitating the phrase - maybe get Ross O'Ck to take it up.

Macha

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=qui+vive&searchmode=none

"1726, from Fr. qui voulez-vous qui vive? sentinel's challenge, "whom do you wish to live," lit. "(long) live who?" In other words, "whose side are you on?""

peasant

papillon66 wrote: »

It comes from the sentence...etre sur le qui vive

Strangely enough the "kwiviv" has also made it into my home dialect (Swabian)

"kwiviv" is somebody who is not easily fooled or tricked and knows what's going on ..more in the sense of clued in than watchful. Usually the word is being used as being on the qui vive

Probably stems from the time when the Napoleonic army had half of Europe under its fist.

On a side note the is also the word "Fissimatenten", describing doing silly / naughty things.

Stems from the shouts of "visite ma tente" that French soldiers used to shout after the local women ...to which they would reply that the would "keine Fissimatenten machen"