Algeria· hard· informal

rester axe

to stay 'axe' (a slang word of uncertain origin, possibly Italian)

Meaning

To be utterly stunned into silence

Explanation

Means being left speechless with shock, too stunned to react.

Example

Quand il a appris la nouvelle, il est resté axe pendant plusieurs minutes.

When he heard the news, he was too stunned to speak for several minutes.

Origin

Nobody's fully sure, but one theory ties it to the Italian 'rimanere in asso' (to be left stranded, alone), which may have been reshaped into 'axe' in Algerian French.

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