cinquième colonne

ByFast French

“Cinquième colonne” is a French idiom that means “fifth column.” It translates as “traitor, enemy spy organisation, spy, or secret service for a foreign country.”

The idiom dates back to 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists of General Franco announced that the capital of Spain, Madrid, would be attacked by five columns of the enemy. The first four columns were troops coming along the four main roads that led to Madrid. The fifth column was made of enemy forces who were already within Madrid, given the task of helping the attackers.

The idiom comes from the Spanish “quinta columna” which also means “fifth column.” It entered popular usage immediately and is used to refer to enemies within a territory that use techniques such as espionnage, terrorist attacks, propaganda or attempts at destabilisation to undermine the area or authority in which they are.

The current French term is “ennemi intérieur,” or “internal enemy.”

The English equivalent of this saying is “fifth column,” which is a direct translation of the Spanish and the French.

Subscribe to be informed of new posts!

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • à couteaux tirés

    ByFast French

    The French saying “à couteaux tirés” means literally “at knives drawn,” or “with knives drawn.” What it actually means is a situation of open war, or great tension, or great hostility, or diametrically opposed. The idiom dates back to the end of the 17th century. Historically, arguments were often “resolved” with knives or daggers. So…

  • en catimini

    ByFast French

    “En catimini” is a French expression that means furtively, stealthily, on the sly or discreetly. It dates back to the second half of the 14th century. The word “catimini” is often linked to the Greek word “katamenia” which means menstruation. The idea being that women of the era kept their menstrual status largely to themselves….

  • avoir lieu

    ByFast French

    Understanding the French Expression “Avoir lieu” “Avoir lieu” is a common French expression that literally translates to “to have place” but is used in everyday language to mean “to take place” or “to happen”. Literal Meaning If you break down the expression: However, it’s important to note that “avoir lieu” does not mean “to have…

  • Cleopatra’s nose

    ByFast French

    The French expression « le nez de Cléopâtre » (“Cleopatra’s nose”) comes from a famous line by the 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. In his Pensées (1670), he wrote: « Le nez de Cléopâtre, s’il eût été plus court, toute la face de la terre aurait changé. »If Cleopatra’s nose had been shorter, the…

  • maint

    ByFast French

    The French adjective “maint” means “many,” “many a,” “numerous” or “manifold.” It is a little archaic and is most commonly used in a literary way, although some still use it in everyday speech. People tend to prefer more modern words such as “beaucoup,” “nombreux,” “plusieurs,” or more familiarly, “plein de.” As an adjective, “maint” must…