The meaning of Ariadne’s thread or "Fil D'ariane" is now anything that guides you out of a difficult situation.

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The story behind:

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Minos instructed the great architect and engineer Daedalus to build the labyrinth to house the Minotaur. It was famous for being unnavigable; once in, anyone who entered was doomed to be eaten by the Minotaur.

Minos had recently conquered Athens, and he demanded as tribute that every year Athens would send seven maidens and seven youths to be sacrificed to the minotaur. 

Theseus (son of King Aegeus of Athens) volunteered to join the band of youths who were to be sacrificed. He traveled to Crete, and as soon as he arrived Ariadne, King Minos' daughter, fell in love with him. She offered to help him conquer the labyrinth and kill the minotaur if he would marry her and take her away from Crete. He agreed. Ariadne gave him a ball of red thread, and Theseus unrolled it as he penetrated the labyrinth, which allowed him to find his way back out. He found the minotaur deep in the recesses of the labyrinth, killed it with his sword, and followed the thread back to the entrance.