reculer pour mieux sauter
French
editPronunciation
editVerb
edit- (figuratively, in good part) to take a run-up so as to jump farther, to make a strategic retreat, to make a strategic withdrawal so as to come back stronger
- (figuratively, in bad part) to delay the inevitable, to put off the evil day
Usage notes
edit- Can carry either a positive or a negative connotation.
See also
editFurther reading
edit- “reculer pour mieux sauter”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “reculer pour mieux sauter”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.