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sabre au clair

French, adverb/sa.bʁ‿o klɛʁ/

sabre au clair is a French adverb meaning “with sword drawn (with the sword out of its sheath)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Avec le sabre dont la lame est hors du fourreau”.

What does sabre au clair mean in English?

adverb

  1. 1

    with sword drawn (with the sword out of its sheath)

  2. 2

    in an openly aggressive and forthright manner

    avancer sabre au clair

Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How French dictionaries define it

adverb: 1. Avec le sabre dont la lame est hors du fourreau. 2. Sans protection et sans masquer ses intentions.

The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.

Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

How do you pronounce sabre au clair?

  • /sa.bʁ‿o klɛʁ/
  • \sabʁ‿o klɛʁ\

Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.