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I ran across this expression while reading about the massacre in Aurora, Colorado.

Selon le FBI, le tireur semble avoir ouvert une issue de secours afin de pouvoir facilement pénétrer dans le cinéma pour ouvrir le feu.

What does it mean? Does it mean that he started ("opened") firing with his gun as the context suggests? Or does it mean that he opened an exit or a way for fire to escape, which might be a more literal translation?

Je suis tombé sur cet idiome pendant que je lisais un article décrivant le massacre à Aurora, au Colorado.

Selon le FBI, le tireur semble avoir ouvert une issue de secours afin de pouvoir facilement pénétrer dans le cinéma pour ouvrir le feu.

Qu'est-ce qu'il veut dire?

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(How did I do in writing it in French? I wasn't sure how to say "while reading about..." so I had to try to say "while I was reading on article on...") – Aerovistae Jul 27 '12 at 21:56
La réponse est dans le Wiktionnaire, dans le TLF, dans le Petit Robert (pas de façon très claire je l'avoue). De plus la traduction en anglais est transparente : open fire. – Gilles♦ Jul 27 '12 at 22:18
Tomber is one of those verbs which takes être as its auxiliary because although you're using it figuratively, it's one of those intransitive verbs expressing a notion of movement. Otherwise, minor mistakes :) – Kareen Jul 27 '12 at 22:21
Ah shoot and those were mostly mistakes from not thinking, I knew most of those. @Gilles Yes, you're right. When I saw the phrase again it made sense instantly...but in this context, in English, that wouldn't really make sense, which is why I didn't guess it. You wouldn't say "he left the door open so he could more easily go into the cinema to open fire." – Aerovistae Jul 27 '12 at 23:37
@Aerovistae Oh, is your comprehension problem with the first part of the sentence? The end does mean so he could easily enter the cinema in order to open fire. The first part says that the shooter opened a fire exit (literally: an emergency exit). If you edit your question to indicate what you had trouble understanding, I'll reopen it. – Gilles♦ Jul 27 '12 at 23:39
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closed as too localized by Gilles♦ Jul 27 '12 at 22:18

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