Green’s Dictionary of Slang

absenting oneself from a job or duty without prior permission; usu. as take French leave.

1741		Benedicta I 261: Mrs Butler, who on this extraordinary occasion, had taken French leave of her pillow, was soon at the chamber door.
1759		Memoirs of the celebrated Miss Fanny M-. 18: Mr Easy, after breakfast, took a French leave, and returned to B[at]h with his dear Fanny.
1760		Derby Mercury 17 Oct. 3/2: In expectation of meeting with some of her comrades, but not seeing any, Monsieur took French leave.
1763		C. Speckman Life, Travels, Exploits, Frauds and Robberies 5: The inn-keeper’s servant I took French leave of in Piccadilly.
1771		Smollett Humphrey Clinker (1925) II 55: He stole away an Irishman’s bride and took French leave of me and his master.
1777		Caledonian Mercury 3 Mar. 1/2: About 10,000 have taken French leave of their Generals, the term of their enlitsment being expired.
1789		Derby Mercury 17 Dec. 3/2: He then put the cord into the hands of the mason, and took a French leave.
1791		Scots Mag. 1 July 50/1: Perceiving the situation of his antagonist [he] took French leave.
1800		Sporting Mag. Oct. XVII 24/1: You may take French leave – be off like a shot.
1809		B.H. Malkin (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas (1822) III 60: After you took French leave, so much to your credit, great events happened.
1822		Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 23: You who have not only fought shy, and bucketed your pells for many a good thing you did, but who, contrary to all rules of honour among family-men, left your friend on French leave, and ran to town as if you smelled a gallow’s-trap at your heels.
1831		Satirist (London) 26 June 93/1: The rumour that Miss Digby [...] had taken French leave is a fabrication.
1835		D. Crockett in Meine Crockett Almanacks (1955) 5: I took French leave of him.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 18 June n.p.: The candy man took french leave of Miss B.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 1 Aug. 2/6: The prisoner had taken French leave [...] for the more pleasant occupation of whetting his whistle at a neighbouring boozing ken.
1854		F. Smedley Harry Coverdale’s Courtship 396: I thought I would avoid all the difficulties [...] by taking French leave, and setting off in disguise and under a feigned name.
c.1864		‘The Royal Passage’ in Rakish Rhymer (1917) 58: So she took French leave of Louis, and his foreign fricassees.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 85: I am firmly convinced that I should have taken ‘French leave’ of the Major, and sought the woods for safety.
1880		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 9 Oct. 13/1: [headline] A Couple of Kentucky Wives Take French Leave of Their Lords.
1883		R.L. Stevenson Treasure Island 178: My only plan was to take French leave, and slip out when nobody was watching.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 21 Mar. 5/4: A street Arab was about to take French leave to seat himself on the step of a ’bus.
1892		H. Nisbet Bushranger’s Sweetheart 118: She was also one of the absentees; she had taken French leave.
1898		E.S. Mott Mingled Yarn v: I am not proud of having established a record for the taking of ‘French leave’ whilst serving Her Majesty.
1902		Seattle Star (WA) 29 Apr. 1/4: The young people [...] took French leave.
1907		D. Stewart Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 8 June 12/4: ‘How on earth did you get a ticket-o’-leave?’ ‘I took it, you idiot — French leave — gave ’em leg bail for it’.
1908		Gem 17 Oct. 19: ‘I’ve taken French leave,’ said Wally with a grin.
1912		A. Brazil Fourth Form Friendship 12: ‘She’s out, so I couldn't ask her.’ ‘Taking French leave?’.
1913		Sport (Adelaide) 15 Feb. 11/3: They Say [...] That George W T and John Bunny have taken French leave [...] to join the ‘H.M.S. Miser’s Retreat’.
1916		‘A-No. 1’ Snare of the Road 17: Others who previously had acted decidedly homesick took French leave when our last penny had been used.
1929		R. Coleman Girl From Back Home in Hatch & Hamalian Lost Plays of Harlem Renaissance (1996) 97: Taking French leave?
1935		J. Fishman Sex in Prison 184: Not a single one took ‘French leave’ over a period of more than two years.
1943		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Faustus Kelly in ‘Flann O’Brien’ Stories & Plays (1973) 188: Are you crazy, man? Have you taken French leave of your senses?
1958		L.F. Cooley Run For Home (1959) 344: It’s hard to keep from being hurt when your eldest boy takes French leave.
1962		T. Berger Reinhart in Love (1963) 143: You left the shop, by means of French leave, at about eight.
1979		Maledicta III:2 218: Ethnic insults in gay lingo underline the fact that gays for all their difference still are part of the larger society whose prejudices surface in French tickler and French leave (which the French call Capote anglaise and filer à l’nglais).
1981		G.V. Higgins Rat on Fire (1982) 2: My previous fellow officers went out to deliver a piece of paper to a guy that took French leave from the prison.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 12: National rivalries can be traced by the appearance in English of many negative phrases involving Dutch and French, e.g., [...] French leave, departure without notice; and French pox, syphilis.
2000		D.T. Beito From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State 96: On one occasion some boys admitted that they had taken a French leave.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 398: [A] show whose audience take off, take French leave.