# Escaping unseen: "mousing away"



## ThomasK

In a comic book, I think, someone came across the expression "*slipping sneaking away (off)/ sneaking off in a rat taxi*" [but in Dutch: _wegslippen in een rattentaxi_] *when leaving a party unseen *because one is not  having a good time there. Rat taxis appear to be illegal taxis, but none has really met that expression in Dutch I could imagine something more common like "*er vanonder muizen", lit. mousing away* [down under?]... 

How about your language? Do you have funny, powerful [metaphorical] expressions to render that meaning?


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## Yendred

ThomasK said:


> when leaving a party unseen


What do you mean?


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## ThomasK

Leaving a party without being seen. Maybe better: "unnoted", "unwitnessed"?


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## alfaalfa

Ciao,
In Italian there are
_s*gatta*iolare _ to leave just like a cat (_gatto_)
_*squagliar*sela _something like to melt down/ liquefy yourself
_tagliare la corda _lit. to cut the rope


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## Yendred

In French:
_Partir en douce_ (to leave on the quiet)
_Partir comme un voleur_ (to leave like a thief)


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## ThomasK

After mousing away, first ratting away (in a rat taxi) ;-) and now catting away...


alfaalfa said:


> _*squagliar*sela _something like to melt down/ liquefy yourself


That reminds me: we can "disappear with the North(ern) sun", though probably different... And of liquider (in French), murdering that person, perhaps...


alfaalfa said:


> _tagliare la corda _lit. to cut the rope


Could you imagine what rope that is? A rope granting freedom of course, but ... ? Thanks!


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## alfaalfa

It refers to the anchor's rope you've to cut to leave away in emergency cases.


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## Yendred

ThomasK said:


> liquider (in French), murdering that person



According to the Wiktionary, it comes from Italian _liquidare_ which originally has a financial meaning (to settle a debt).


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## apmoy70

Greek:

-*«Φεύγω νύχτα»* [ˈfe̞vɣo̞ˈnixta] --> _I'm leavinɡ niɡht_ (i.e. under cover of darkness).
-*«Τηγκανά»* [tiŋɡaˈna] < *«την κάνω»* [tiŋˈɡano̞] --> _I'm makinɡ it_ (lit. _I'm making her_, slanɡ for _I'm leavinɡ_; a punning reference to the French footballer Jean Tigana), simply because the Greek expression resembles Tigana's name (I do not think the youngsters who use this expression ever saw him play).
-*«Στα μουλ(λ)ωχτά»* [s̠tamulo̞xˈta] (dated) --> _on the sly_; «μουλ(λ)ωχτά» is an adverb --> _secretly, stealthy_ < adj. *«μουλ(λ)ωχτός, -τή, -τό»* [mulo̞xˈto̞s̠] (masc.), [mulo̞xˈti] (fem.), [mulo̞xˈto̞] (neut.) --> _conniving, stealthy_ < Κοine adj. *«μυλλός» mŭllós*, possibly from PIE *mū- _lips, muzzle_ cf. Skt. मूल (mūla), _root_, Proto-Germanic *mūlą > Ger. Maul, Dt. muil.


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## Circunflejo

In Spanish, irse a la chita callando.


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## Marsianitoh

Another one in Spanish: " hacer mutis por el foro".


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## ThomasK

Marsianitoh said:


> Another one in Spanish: " hacer mutis por el foro".


Leave the forum, leave the floor? (Is "mutis" simply something like "to leave"?)


Circunflejo said:


> In Spanish, irse a la chita callando.


"Go to the cheeatah and stay still"?


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## Circunflejo

ThomasK said:


> "Go to the cheeatah and stay still"?


No. It's tricky to translate. Chita comes from a interjection to request silence and callando would be in silence. It's a set phrase. I doesn't really have a literal translation.


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## Penyafort

Catalan:

(similar to Spanish)
*fer mutis pel fons* ['doing a _mutis _in the background'; comes from what actors do on stage, disappearing silently behind the background; _mutis _is old fake Latin for silently]​​(leave saying nothing, not necessarily in a sly way)
*anar-se'n a la francesa* 'take the French leave'​*anar-se'n sense dir ase ni bèstia* 'leave without saying ass or beast'​​(disappear from a place without a trace)
*fer-se fonedís/fonedissa* 'to become _meltable_'​


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## Welsh_Sion

Here's another animal for you, @ThomasK, courtesy of *Cymraeg/Welsh*:

*mynd fel iâr i ddodwy* _- _going like a hen to lay (eggs)

And a few others in other languages.

English: *to go A(bsent) W(ith(O)ut) L(eave) *- of a military person initially of course.
French: *filer à l'anglaise -* to take French leave (but obviously another nationality in play here ...)


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## Yendred

Welsh_Sion said:


> French: *filer à l'anglaise -* to take French leave (but obviously another nationality in play here ...)



Another favor for a favor, like the legendary _French letter/capote anglaise_


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## alfaalfa

Circunflejo said:


> Chita comes from a interjection to request silence


In my Apulian dialect, we say _*citt! *_(=keep silence!) with the same meaning, so we "mouse away" saying _*irəsinn (=andarsene *_in Italian_*) citt citt.*_


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## ThomasK

Welsh_Sion said:


> Here's another animal for you, @ThomasK, courtesy of *Cymraeg/Welsh*:
> 
> *mynd fel iâr i ddodwy* _- _going like a hen to lay (eggs)
> 
> And a few others in other languages.
> 
> English: *to go A(bsent) W(ith(O)ut) L(eave) *- of a military person initially of course.
> French: *filer à l'anglaise -* to take French leave (but obviously another nationality in play here ...)


Great additions, @Welsh_Sion!


alfaalfa said:


> In my Apulian dialect, we say _*citt! *_(=keep silence!) with the same meaning, so we "mouse away" saying _*irəsinn (=andarsene *_in Italian_*) citt citt.*_


You have a great sense of humour over there! ;-)


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## alfaalfa

ThomasK said:


> You have a great sense of humour over there! ;-)


You can't imagine how much great


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## Yendred

Circunflejo said:


> Chita comes from a interjection to request silence





alfaalfa said:


> In my Apulian dialect, we say _*citt! *_(=keep silence!) with the same meaning


In French: _*chut ! *_/ʃyt/
(and in English _*hush!*_)
It would be interesting to know why the sound /ʃ/ or /tʃ/ is naturally associated with the "keep silent" request.


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## alfaalfa

I guess there's the same root but I ignore it.
I found curious the same sound beetween* irse a la chita *e  _*irəsinn  citt *_


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## ThomasK

@Yendred: interesting topic, but couldn't you create a thread at the Language Lab?


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## ThomasK

apmoy70 said:


> Greek:
> 
> -*«Φεύγω νύχτα»* [ˈfe̞vɣo̞ˈnixta] --> _I'm leavinɡ niɡht_ (i.e. under cover of darkness). Oh yes, like "with the Northern sun" in Dutch (noorderzon)
> .
> -*«Στα μουλ(λ)ωχτά»* [s̠tamulo̞xˈta] (dated) --> _on the sly_; «μουλ(λ)ωχτά» is an adverb --> _secretly, stealthy_ < adj. *«μουλ(λ)ωχτός, -τή, -τό»* [mulo̞xˈto̞s̠] (masc.), [mulo̞xˈti] (fem.), [mulo̞xˈto̞] (neut.) --> _conniving, stealthy_ < Κοine adj. *«μυλλός» mŭllós*, possibly from PIE *mū- _lips, muzzle_ cf. Skt. मूल (mūla), _root_, Proto-Germanic *mūlą > Ger. Maul, Dt. muil.


Interesting hypothesis, this association with lips or a muzzle. We have an adj./adv. like that, _steels_, but no link with muzzle, only with stealing...


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## Roxxxannne

Here are some US English colloquialisms that have to do with leaving a place suddenly (although I wouldn't use them for something like leaving a party without being noticed)

skip town:  this implies to me that the person skipping town is in some way behaving badly or illegally and will be found out and made to answer for their wrongdoing if they stay.

get out of Dodge: this implies to me that the person leaving is not necessarily a wrongdoer, but they will be in trouble if they stay.  It supposedly comes from Dodge City, Kansas, a famous frontier town in the so-called Wild West, with cowboys, cattle drives, gunfighters, saloons, etc.: in other words, a place where a person could easily get into trouble. According to Wiktionary, the American TV show (1950s-60s) _Gunsmoke _popularized the expression.

fly the coop: A allusion to a bird escaping from a chicken coop.

skedaddle: possible origin here.


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## ThomasK

Our "mousing away" refers to the sneakiness and might be a little different from your first two in that there is some kind of crime involved in it. But strictly speaking the mousing away implies some escaping as well. So I guess they fit in well!!!


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## Roxxxannne

Mice commit crimes, though, they steal your food and appropriate your dishcloths to make nesting material.    

In my second example, the person getting out of Dodge is not necessarily a criminal or wrongdoer: they could be a perfectly law-abiding person who is being sought by someone who wishes to do them harm.  Nowadays I think it's used rarely, and probably not by young people who were not around when the Wild West was a popular subject of, well, popular culture.  
It's something someone might use if they are leaving shortly from a place where other people are staying.  For instance, if I'm leaving work at 5:00 (when the workday theoretically ends) and others are staying later, I turn off my computer, stand up, put on my jacket and say to a nearby co-worker, "I'm gettin' outta Dodge."


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## Welsh_Sion

Apparently there is an English dialect term, _to slive_ with the /aI/ diphthong, which I didn't know about but which gives the colloquial Welsh verbal noun, _sleifio_ (with the regular /eI/ diphthong) something I DID know about. See GPC, _sleifiaf)._


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## ThomasK

@Roxxxannne : good sense of humour - and you're right. However, I think that in this context the criminal aspect is less important than their size and speed, allowing them to escape quickly. Don't you think? 

I now see the meaning of the Dodge expression clearer and it is perfect indeed. 

@Welsh_Sion: interesting! M-W mentions sliving and refers also to sidling. It did remind of our sluipen for a sec (sneaking, creeping, crawling), but so far not reason to assume there could be a link...


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## Włoskipolak 72

Polish

wymknąć się chyłkiem (verb) = slink out
wymykać się, opuścić jakieś miejsce niepostrzeżenie = sneak off
wyślizgnąć się (skądś) = slip away

In general we use these verbs ,  in different situations , I mean not only in relation to ''leaving the party unseen''. 

I slipped away from the classroom and went to the cafeteria. (Wyślizgnąłem się z klasy i poszedłem na stołówkę.)


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## ThomasK

Can I then assume that _wy(m)_- or something the like is something like _off/out/ away_? And is there a lot of "physical" difference between the main verbs? Google T suggests something like knocking, living, sneaking, but of course, that might be completely wrong...


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## Włoskipolak 72

ThomasK said:


> Can I then assume that _wy(m)_- or something the like is something like _off/out/ away_? And is there a lot of "physical" difference between the main verbs? Google T suggests something like knocking, living, sneaking, but of course, that might be completely wrong...


Let's see ?

*mknąć  *[m̥knɔ̃ɲʨ̑], (verb) is the core (pędzić, gnać, lecieć), to move very fast * = *scurry , scuttle , speed

from psł. Proto Slavic **mъknǫti *'zacząć się ruszać, poruszać, cisnąć'(to move , tonk)
From Proto-Balto-Slavic _**muktei*_ (“to slip away, to flee, escape”), from Proto-Indo-European _**mu-n-ék-ti* ~ *mu-n-k-éti_, Compare Latvian _*mukt*_ (“knock off, slip”), Lithuanian _mùkti_, munkù, _mukaũ_ (“be released, escape”)

(wy)mknąć się / (wy)mykać się = to slip out

wymknąć się z domu = to slip out of the house

Than we have more verbs based on the same core *mknąć*, and the prefix ; prze , u , wy , za , etc.

mknąć = speed
*wy*mknąć się (reflexive) = slip out
*prze*mknąć = brush
*u*mknąć = slip by



Common Polish Prefixes;  
a-
anty-
arcy-
de-
do-
mini-
na-
nad-
ob-
od-
po-
pod-
prze-
przed-
przy-
roz-
super-
wice-
współ-
w-
wy-
wz-
z-
za-
ze-


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## Welsh_Sion

Not sure if you had this in English - *to slope off*.

Seems initial <*sl-*> seems very popular in English with this meaning or related ones: *slive, slink, slip, slope, slither, slouch, slide*, at least!

And what animal* slips/slides/slithers* away?
- Why a *slug*, of course!


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## Armas

Finnish: *liueta vähin äänin* literally "to dissolve with few noises". _Liueta_ alone can also mean to leave unnoticed. _Vähin äänin_ is an expression meaning something happens secretly, unnoticed, without publicity, unannounced.


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## ThomasK

@Welsh_Sion, @Włoskipolak 72: thanks a lot! 

As for _slope off_: I am just surprised about the link between on the one hand "(on the) incline" and on the other moving sideways, slipping away, because I associate slopes and an incline with going down but not sideways. Can Welsh_Sion enlighten me on that? 

Finnish is interesting too. It reminds me of disappearing but I'd be pleased not to dissolve/ be dissolved at the same time... ;-)


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## apmoy70

Włoskipolak 72 said:


> Polish
> 
> ...
> wyślizgnąć się (skądś) = slip away
> ...


Thank you for reminding me of a verb we have too, referring to _slipping/sliding away unnoticed_:

*«Ξεγλιστράω»* [k͡s̠e̞ɣliˈs̠tra.o̞] --> _to slip/slide away, leave unnoticed_, a compound: MoGr prefix *«ξε-»* [k͡s̠e̞-] which is very productive, and is always a bound morpheme indicating the meanings of _outwardness, removal_ or _privativeness, intensiveness_, movement _forward_ or _upward_, the aphetism of the ancient augment *«ἐξε-» ĕksĕ-* accompanying the past tense verbs < Classical Gr. prefix *«ἐκ-/ἐξ-» ĕk-/ĕks-* («ἐξ» ĕks when the next word begins with a vowel), which with reanalysis in MoGr is extended to the present tense + MoGr v. *«γλιστράω/γλιστρώ»* [ɣlis̠ˈtra.o̞] (uncontracted)/[ɣlis̠ˈtro̞] (contracted) --> _to lose balance due to slippery ɡround, slide_ < Byz.Gr. v. *«ἐγλιστρῶ» eɡlistrô* (idem) < Classical v. *«ἐκλιστράω/ἐκλιστρῶ» ĕklĭstrắō* (uncontracted)/*ĕklĭstrô* (contracted) --> _to brush, rub, scrape_, a compound: Classical prefix and preposition*«ἐκ» ĕk *--> _out_ (PIE *h₁eǵʰs-/ *h₁eḱs- _out_ cf Lat. ex, ex- _out of, from_; OCS изу, _out_ > Rus. из) + Classical neuter noun *«λίστρον» lístrŏn* --> _tool for levellinɡ or smoothinɡ_, also, _a kind of striɡil, a tool for scraping off dirt, perspiration, and olive oil that was applied before bathing in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures_.


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## ThomasK

Could the /listron/ be at the origin of the shovel? It seems more like a skinscraper, if I understand well. Otherwise I could either shovel away or mouse away... ;-)


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## Welsh_Sion

Oxford dictionaries suggest - perhaps a little timidly - that to slope away is related to the verb 'to lope'.

Make of that what you will, @ThomasK !


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## ThomasK

S mobile is something common: zweep/ whip, zwak/ weak, et. Thanks for the hint!


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