(French). Who goes there? The challenge of a sentinel. To be on the qui vive. On the alert; to be quick and sharp; to be on the tip-toe of expectation, like a sentinel. (See above.) Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894Quia EmptoresQui-Tam A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Related ContentAllusionsForeign Words and PhrasesLatin and Greek Word ElementsNames: Their Origins and MeaningsOld Testament NamesMythologyAncient Greek Literature & MythologyThe Bible (King James version)The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell)Shakespeare's PlaysTales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb)Frequently Misspelled WordsFrequently Mispronounced WordsEasily Confused WordsWriting & Language