entre quatre yeux

French

Alternative forms

• entre quatre-z-yeux
• entre quat’z’yeux

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.tʁə ka.tʁə.z‿jø/, (less formal) /ɑ̃.tʁə kat.z‿jø/, (highly careful) /ɑ̃.tʁə ka.tʁ‿jø/, (highly careful) /ɑ̃.tʁə ka.tʁə jø/

Adverb

entre quatre yeux

1. (informal) one-to-one, describing a meeting between just two persons

Usage notes

A /z/ is usually inserted between quatre and yeux for euphony. While the Académie française recommends the spelling entre quatre yeux, it may also be spelled to reflect the additional sound, e.g. entre quatre-z-yeux.

Further reading

• “yeux”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.