[SamuraiScot]

judge Stephanie

What's that French expression to explain bizarre instances of corruption? (They mean it in a different sense, but here goes):

Cherchez la femme.

[trisham]

Cherchez la femme From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cherchez la femme [ʃɛʁʃe la ˈfam] is a French phrase which literally means "look for the woman." The implication is that a man behaves out of character or in an otherwise inexplicable manner because he is trying to cover up an affair with a woman, or trying to impress or gain favor with a woman. The expression comes from the 1854 novel The Mohicans of Paris by Alexandre Dumas (père).[1] The first use in the novel reads: Cherchez la femme, pardieu ! cherchez la femme ![2] The phrase is repeated several times in the novel. Dumas also used the phrase in his 1864 theatrical adaptation, which reads: Il y a une femme dans toutes les affaires ; aussitôt qu'on me fait un rapport, je dis : « Cherchez la femme ! »[3] Translated into English this reads: There is a woman in every case; as soon as they bring me a report, I say, 'Look for the woman!' The phrase embodies a cliché of detective pulp fiction: no matter what the problem, a woman is often the root cause. The phrase has come to refer to explanations that automatically find the same root cause, no matter the specifics of the problem.