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Citation Information
How to Cite
Manser, Martin H. "all quiet on the western front." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 June 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOA00092>.
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all quiet on the western front

Definition 
Nothing is happening, or at least nothing is being admitted to happening. The formula dates from World War I, during which it frequently appeared in German newspapers when nothing beyond the usual sniping or minor exchanges of fire were reported as taking place in the trenches of the western front. The phrase was later poignantly employed as the title of a classic war novel (1929) by the German writer Erich Remarque, who used it to emphasize the fact that even when no major attacks were taking place, men were still dying in large numbers. In modern usage, the phrase may be applied in various contexts when what is really happening is being (deliberately or negligently) ignored publicly. Public relations officers were rushing about the building, but officially it was still "all quiet on the western front."

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