Make Your Point > Archived Issues > APRÈS NOUS LE DÉLUGE
Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.
pronounce
APRÈS NOUS LE DÉLUGE:
Say it "OPP ray NOO luh day LOOJ."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Inside the fascinating French term we're checking out today, après nous le déluge, you'll recognize the word deluge, meaning "a flood: especially an enormously powerful one, like the one from the Bible story that wiped out all life on the planet."
Après nous le déluge means "after us, the flood," or less literally, "After we're gone, everything can be destroyed, for all we care."
This term can stand on its own as an entire sentence, a complete comment. The same goes for the two terms below. Can you recall them?
1. Age qu__ ag__ is Latin for "do what you are doing," or in other words, "focus on the task at hand."
2. F_____ len__ is Latin for "make haste slowly." In other words: hurry, but hurry slowly. Do important things at a quick pace, but at the same time, do those things slowly enough to be careful and deliberate.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
"Après nous le déluge" is French for "after us, the flood."
We've used it in English since about 1809.
Historians typically attribute it to Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764), one of King Louis XV's mistresses. The two of them were known for their selfishness and extravagance, as if they didn't care what happened to their country and its people after they died.
Used somewhat literally, the phrase can mean "After we're gone, everything will be ruined."
But it's usually used more figuratively, to mean "We don't care what happens here after we're gone."
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
It's a comment: a full statement that can work as a standalone sentence. Like this: "They graduated from college decades ago. They don't care how expensive it's gotten for today's kids. Après nous le déluge."
It can also work as a noun: "their attitude of après nous le déluge." And even an adjective, though that may be a bit clunky: "their après nous le déluge attitude."
Other forms:
If you prefer, you can add the comma: après nous, le déluge.
An alternate form is "après moi le déluge," meaning "after me, the flood." Pronounce it "OPP ray MWAH luh day LOOJ" (hear it here).
how to use it:
As with all long, rare, fancy foreign terms, use caution! But if you're pretty sure your readers will understand what you mean, then use it as a harsh label for people's attitudes, methods, and policies.
How do you work this term into your text? Usually as a standalone comment. Here's D. H. Lawrence: "The tacit utterance of every man, when this state is reached, is 'Après moi le Déluge.'" And here's Helena Attlee: "You can't just say après moi le deluge. You have to leave written instructions about the management of the garden."
examples:
"'Après nous, le déluge' should have been the motto of the past two years [of the COVID pandemic]. As long as one was 'safe' and able to enjoy one's splendid isolation with one's gin, one's tonic, one's Netflix, one's Amazon Prime account and one's lockdown puppy, what consequence was it... that our young people, and their children, and their children's children, would likely have to deal with the fallout from all of this for their entire lives?"
— David McGrogan, The Critic, 23 March 2022
"What Putin and his inner circle are relying on is that there will be enough political and economic heft for the rest of their time in power. What happens after that, beyond the 2030s, is of little concern to them. Like Madame de Pompadour, their attitude is 'Après nous, le déluge.'"
— Andrei Kolesnikov, Financial Times, 20 September 2021
has this page helped you understand "après nous le déluge"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "après nous le déluge" without saying "an attitude of indifference toward the future" or "a callous disregard for younger generations."
try it out:
So far, we've seen this term used as an insult and a criticism. But one writer offers a cheerier interpretation:
"Any catastrophe or disaster occurring after one is dead is completely irrelevant to one's happiness. One might as well enjoy one's life, safe in the knowledge that whatever comes afterwards has no consequence."
Talk about whether you agree or disagree. Do you find the après nous le déluge attitude acceptable or unacceptable? Why?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Oddball Recall!
Given some abbreviated definitions and a few letters, try to recall some of the kookiest terms we've studied. To see the answers, scroll all the way down.
Try this set today: That's A Bit Much.
1. Gaudy: or__d_ceous.
2. Retch-inducingly sweet: tw__.
3. Volcanically explosive: Ve___ian.
4. Unnecessarily polysyllabic: s_____p_d_lian.
5. With more scholarly detail than anybody asked for: ex_g___cal.
review this word:
A. cool indifference to criticism.
B. loving care for future generations.
C. warm solidarity with all living things.
2.
Using what we know about the term "après nous le déluge," if we bump into the term "après-ski," sometimes abbreviated to "après," we'll know it means _____.
A. "before-ski:" the eager donning of warm layers of clothes
B. "mid-ski:" the quick sharing of a hot drink between runs
C. "after-ski:" the joyful partying after a day on the slopes
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Inside the fascinating French term we're checking out today, après nous le déluge, you'll recognize the word deluge, meaning "a flood: especially an enormously powerful one, like the one from the Bible story that wiped out all life on the planet."
Part of speech:
As with all long, rare, fancy foreign terms, use caution! But if you're pretty sure your readers will understand what you mean, then use it as a harsh label for people's attitudes, methods, and policies.
"'Après nous, le déluge' should have been the motto of the past two years [of the COVID pandemic]. As long as one was 'safe' and able to enjoy one's splendid isolation with one's gin, one's tonic, one's Netflix, one's Amazon Prime account and one's lockdown puppy, what consequence was it... that our young people, and their children, and their children's children, would likely have to deal with the fallout from all of this for their entire lives?"
Explain the meaning of "après nous le déluge" without saying "an attitude of indifference toward the future" or "a callous disregard for younger generations."
So far, we've seen this term used as an insult and a criticism. But one writer offers a cheerier interpretation:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |