Le mot du jour : “Être de mèche (avec quelqu’un)
“Être de mèche avec quelqu’un” means “to be in collusion with someone”.
I was always wondering about that expression, because “une mèche” is a strand of hair or the wick of a candle, so I couldn’t see what it had to do with anything.
As it turns out, that “mèche” comes from the italian “mezzo”, which means “background” (milieu in French). So “être de mèche” is to be from the same “milieu”, the same background, originally. Then, with time, the meaning turned into being complicit.
So, if for example, you are organising a surprise party with someone, you can say that the both of you are “de mèche” 🙂