The French phrase that you will not want to forget

The French expression tomber aux oubliettes, referring to something that gets forgotten about, goes way back, to the Middle Ages.

Oubliettes was the name given to little prisons found in medieval castles. They were located deep beneath the chateau, and were places where lords used to lock up their enemies or those who disobeyed their orders, without giving them any food or water.

They were left to starve to death, abandoned in the dark and completely forgotten.

For a long time, tales of these oubliettes terrified people. They were described as awful, cold rooms, where prisoners lost their minds and screamed for mercy without being heard. Some stories were made yet more horrific by the addition of rats and insects.

Historians, however, beg to differ – most believe the horror of the oubliette was exaggerated. They say that they were prisons just like any others.

Used by conjugating oubliettes with the verb ‘tomber’, the expression nowadays is used to refer to something that has been forgotten or neglected, falls by the wayside, fall through the cracks or is cast aside. It is also used to refer to something that remains deep down in one’s memory and thoughts.

‘Fade into oblivion’ would be a good translation.