Literal translation
To take the road of the indebted
Meaning
to take the long way round, with many detours
Explanation
This expression names the act of stretching a journey with needless detours, whether by accident or on purpose, as someone might do who wanted to delay their arrival. The image plays on the figure of the debtor (endéuta), someone who, dreading a run in with creditors or a due payment, would rather multiply side roads and delay arriving at the point. Taking the debtors' road thus means, by comparison, choosing the longest and most winding way, that of someone trying to buy time or avoid something unpleasant. It is used to poke fun at a needlessly roundabout journey, whether caused by distraction, poor sense of direction or a deliberate choice to dawdle. The context links it to the phrase about taking the schoolchildren's road, which describes the same idea of an unnecessary detour, with the difference that the Provençal image evokes debt.