Make an exit
Meaning
To leave a place or situation, often quickly or dramatically.
Origin
The phrase "make an exit" stems directly from the language of the stage, echoing the Latin term "exit" which means "he/she goes out." This single word has been a fundamental stage direction in plays since antiquity, famously used by Elizabethan playwrights like Shakespeare to instruct actors on when to depart the scene. The command, which literally means for a character to leave the physical stage, seamlessly transitioned into everyday speech, transforming the theatrical act of leaving a performance into the common act of departing any place or situation, often implying a noticeable or deliberate departure.
Examples
- After the awkward silence, she quickly made an exit from the room.
- The actor made an exit stage left, much to the audience's delight.