ˌForeign ˈLegion, the BrE AmE
a part of the French army that is made up of ↑ volunteer s (=men who chose to join) , most of whom are not French. They were formerly used to protect French colonies (↑ colony ) in North Africa, and they are thought of as working in severe and difficult conditions, often in the desert. There is a joke that men join the Foreign Legion in order to forget women with whom they have had unhappy love affairs.