Dutch leave

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːv

Noun

Dutch leave (uncountable)

1. An absence without permission.
   • 1963, Time - Volume 82, page 22:

     By last week, when Queen Juliana flew back from an Italian vacation to swear in new Prime Minister Victor Marijnen, the government had taken Dutch leave for 70 days.

   • 1980, Merrill J. Mattes, Fort Laramie Park History, 1834-1977, page 279:

     In July 1961 Gann fractured a rib from causes unspecified but stayed on the job until autumn when he again took "Dutch leave" for San Francisco, not returning until January 1962, and it was his absence during the interim, not working on material lists, which caused slow delivery and "green lumber" problems.

   • 1984, Ranjit Chatterjee, Colin Nicholson, Tropic Crucible: Self and Theory in Language and Literature, page 179:

     Contemplating this scene while waiting for the bus home after a day of dreaming and lazing at the beach on "Dutch leave", Kwang Meng muses without any meaningful conclusion as to its larger continuing historical significance, "All these colonial names indelibly stamped everywhere. No wonder the English still feel very much at home here. They still cling on to their Cricket Club, Tanglin Club and Polo Club".

   • 2017, Frank Belknap Long, Mission to a Distant Star, page 128:

     I was something of a hellion, I'm afraid. Enjoyed getting into scraps and—yes, scrapes. Took Dutch leave from school whenever an urge to go fishing came upon me.