''Cherchez la femme'' () is a French phrase which literally means 'look for the woman'. It is a cliche in

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

, used to suggest that a mystery can be resolved by identifying a

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

or female love interest. The phrase embodies a

cliché A cliché ( or ; ) is a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or literal and figurative language, figurative or artistic power, even to the point of now being b ...

of detective pulp fiction: no matter what the problem, a woman is often the root cause. Thus, it has come to refer to explanations that automatically find the same root cause, no matter the specifics of the problem.

Origin of the phrase

The expression comes from the novel ''The Mohicans of Paris'' ''( Les Mohicans de Paris)'' published 1854–1859 by Alexandre Dumas (père). The phrase is repeated several times in the novel; the first use reads:

''Cherchez la femme, pardieu! cherchez la femme!''

Look for the woman, by God! Look for the woman!

Dumas also used the phrase in his 1864 theatrical adaptation:

''Il y a une femme dans toutes les affaires; aussitôt qu'on me fait un rapport, je dis: « Cherchez la femme ! »''

There is a woman in every case; as soon as someone brings me a report, I say, 'Look for the woman!'

In popular culture

* In his 1963 detective novel ''The Chill'', Ross Macdonald's sleuth Lew Archer offers a wry analysis of the concept, stating: "When a woman is murdered, you ask her estranged husband where he was at the time. It's the

corollary In mathematics and logic, a corollary ( , ) is a theorem of less importance which can be readily deduced from a previous, more notable statement. A corollary could, for instance, be a proposition which is incidentally proved while proving another ...

of ''cherchez la femme''."Macdonald, Ross (1963), ''The Chill'', p. 175 of Vintage Books reissue edition * In the 1974 film '' Chinatown'', Evelyn Mulwray,

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, ...

's character, attempts to suss out J. J. Gittes (

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

's character) by murmuring "''cherchez la femme''" to him in bed, insinuating that a woman is why he left the LAPD. * A character (a mud turtle) in the comic strip ''Pogo'' is named "Churchill 'Churchy' LaFemme". * A Big Band-inspired Disco collective known as Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band recorded a song called " Cherchez La Femme", which was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Disco chart in 1976, the year it was released. * In the 2010

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...

Fallout: New Vegas, players can select the perk "Cherchez La Femme" for female protagonists, indicating a sapphic sexual orientation that expands same-sex dialogue options and gives a combat bonus against female NPCs.

References

External links

* {{wikiquote-inline, Alexandre Dumas French words and phrases Quotations from literature 1850s neologisms 1850s quotations Detective fiction Alexandre Dumas

Origin of the phrase

In popular culture

See also

References

External links