Belgium

blocus

Meaning

the study leave before university exams

Elsewhere

révisions

Explanation

Being shut away with your books before exams gets a rather martial name in Belgium, blocus, the word for a siege. Standard French just calls it les révisions.

Example

Je suis en blocus à partir de samedi, impossible de sortir avant les examens.

I'm in study leave from Saturday, no going out before the exams.

Origin

From the Middle Dutch blochuus, a small fort. The sense slid from the fort to the siege, then to any blockade.

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