The French phrase 'mettre entre parenthèses' translates to 'to put between parentheses' and is commonly used in both writing and conversational contexts. It signifies the act of pausing or sidelining oneâs pursuits, be it a career or a passion, reflecting the idea of something being isolated or set aside. While its grammatical origins relate to punctuation, it frequently surfaces in discussions about life choices, often illustrated through personal stories or societal issues, where individuals have had to temporarily step back from their ambitions.
In a figurative sense, this evokes the idea that something has become isolated, or set aside, from one's life.
It also means 'to pause' or 'to put on hold'. You might hear a celebrity or sports star use this phrase when talking about pursuing a different path.
Mettre entre parenthèses - roughly pronounced meh-truh ahn-truh pah-rahn-tez - translates precisely as 'to put between parentheses'.
According to Linternaute, the expression was born from the idea that parentheses 'isolate one element in a sentence'.
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