Know Your English (Nov 2001)-3

Know your English

What is the meaning of "on the qui vive"

First, let's deal with the pronunciation. "Qui" is pronounced like the word "key" and "ive" in "vive" sounds like the word "eve". When you say that someone is "on the qui vive", what you are implying is that he/she is alert; he/she is watching very carefully. This is what the expression means in English. In French, I understand, "qui vive" means "Long live, who?" Why does the expression mean something different in English? Well, that's a long story. We'll deal with it some other time.
*Geetha is always on the qui vive for bargains.
*The soldiers were on the qui vive for another assault.

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, November 06, 2001