Albert Barrre

P (popular), faire le ——, to look displeased.

Pacant, m. (thieves’), peasant, or “clod;” clumsy fellow; intruder.

Mais ce pacant-lÀ va tout gÂter.—Balzac, Pierre Grassou.

Paccin, or pacmon, m. (thieves’), parcel, or “peter.” From paquet, parcel.

Pacquelin, m. (thieves’), country.

Un suage est À maquiller la sorgue dans la toile du ratichon du pacquelin.—Vidocq. (A murder and robbery will take place at night in the country priest’s house.)

BrÈme de ——, map. Le —— du raboin, the infernal regions.

Pacquelinage, m. (thieves’), journey.

Pacqueliner (thieves’), to travel.

Pacquelineur, m. (thieves’), traveller.

Pacsin, paccin, or pacmon, m. (thieves’), parcel, or “peter.”

Paf, adj. (popular), drunk, or “tight.” See Pompette.

Vous avez ÉtÉ joliment paf hier.—Balzac.

Paff, m. (thieves’), brandy, or “bingo,” in old English cant.

Quelques voleurs qui, dans un accÈs de cette bonhomie que produisent deux ou trois coups de “paff” versÉs À propos, se laisseraient “tirer la carotte” sur leurs affaires passÉes.—Vidocq.

Paffe, f. (popular), donner une ——, to thrash, “to wallop.” See Voie. Paffe, shoe, “trotter-case.”

Paffer, or empaffer (popular), se ——, to get drunk, “to get tight.” See Sculpter.

Pagaie, f. (military), mettre en ——, literally en pas gaie, to play on recruits a practical joke, which consists in arranging their beds in such a way that everything will come to the ground directly they get into them.

Page, f. and m. (printers’), blanche, good workman. Etre —— blanche en tout, to be a good workman and good comrade; to be innocent.

En cette affaire vous n’Êtes pas page blanche.—Boutmy.

(Popular) Page d’Alphand, scavenger in the employ of the city of Paris, M. Alphand being the chief engineer of the Board of Works of that town.

Pagne, m. (popular and thieves’), bed, “doss, bug-walk, or kip;” (thieves’) provisions brought by friends to a prisoner.

J’ai un bon coeur; tu l’as vu lorsque je lui portais le “pagne À la LorcefÉ” (provision À la Force).—Vidocq.

Pagnoten (Breton cant), shrew; girl of indifferent character.

Pagnoter (popular), to go to bed; —— avec une grognasse, to sleep with a woman.

Pagnotte, adj. (popular), cowardly (obsolete).

Pagoure (thieves’), to take; to steal. Ils l’ont farguÉ À la dure pour pagoure son bobinarÈs, they attacked him in order to steal his watch.

Paies (popular), c’est tout ce que tu ——? have you nothing more interesting to say? or, what next?

Prenez garde, mon fils! la pente du vice est glissante; tel qui commence par une peccadille peut finir sur l’Échafaud!—C’est tout ce que tu paies?—Randon.

Paillasse, f. (popular), body, or “apple-cart.” Termed also “paillasse aux lÉgumes.” Crever la —— À quelqu’un, to kill one, “to do for one.”

En voilÀ assez avec “au chose,” il faut lui crever la paillasse; qui est-ce qui en est?—G. Courteline.

Manger sa ——, to say one’s prayers by one’s bedside, “to chop the whines.” Bourrer la ——, to eat, “to peck.” Paillasse, low prostitute, or “draggle-tail.”

Du temps qu’elle faisait la noce,

Jamais on n’aurait pu rencontrer,—c’est certain—

Paillasse plus cynique et plus rude catin.

Gill.

Paillasse À soldats, or de corps de garde, soldier’s wench, or “barrack-hack.” Termed also —— À troufion. (Prostitutes’) BrÛler ——, to make off without paying a prostitute, termed, in the English slang, “to do a bilk.”

Le client n’est pas toujours un michÉ consciencieux. Quelquefois elles ont affaire À de mauvais plaisants qui ne se font aucun scrupule de ne pas les payer; en argot de prostitution on appelle cela “brÛler paillasse.”—LÉo Taxil.

(Military) TraÎne ——, a fourrier, or non-commissioned officer who has charge of the bedding and furniture department.

Paillasson, m. (theatrical), short play acted before a more important one is performed.

Le spectacle commenÇa par une petite piÈce, le lever de rideau habituel que l’on a, depuis, appelÉ en argot de coulisses le “paillasson,” parcequ’on la joue pendant que les retardataires arrivent.—A. Sirven, La Chasse aux Vierges.

(Popular) N’avoir plus de —— À la porte, to be bald, “to have a bladder of lard.” For synonyms see Avoir.

Eh! ben! en v’lÀ un vieux gÂteux! avec son crÂne À l’encaustique. S’il avait des cheveux, il serait encore assez rÉussi. Mais il n’a plus de fil sur la bobine, plus de crin sur la brosse, plus de gazon sur le prÉ, il a l’caillou dÉplumÉ, quoi? Enfin, n’y a plus de paillasson À la porte.—Baumaine et Blondelet.

Paillasson, prostitute’s lover. See Poisson. Un ——, one who is too fond of the petticoat, a “molrower, or mutton-monger.”

Paillasson, quoi! Coeur d’artichaut.

. . . . .

A c’fourbis-lÀ, mon vieux garÇon,

—Qu’vous m’direz,—on n’fait pas fortune,

Faut un’ marmite,—et n’en faut qu’une;

Y a pas d’fix’ pour un paillasson.

Gill, La Muse À Bibi.

Paille, f. (thieves’), lace, or “driz.” (Popular) C’est une ——! only a trifle! The expression is ironical, and is meant to convey just the opposite. Ne plus avoir de —— sur le tabouret, to be bald. (Military) Paille de fer, bayonet, “cold steel;” sword. Avoir la —— au cul, to be declared physically unfit for military service. (Card-sharpers’) Paille, swindle at cards, which consists in bending a certain card at the place where it is required to cut the pack. Couper dans la ——, to cut a pack thus prepared. Synonymous of “couper dans le pont.”

Pailler (gambling cheats’), to arrange cards, when shuffling them, for cheating, “to stock broads.”

PailletÉe, f. (popular), gay girl of the Boulevards. For list of synonyms see Gadoue.

Paillot, m. (popular), door-mat. Plaquer la tournante sous le ——, to conceal the key under the door-mat.

Pain, m. (popular), blow; —— À cacheter, consecrated wafer. Also the moon. Tortorer le —— À cacheter, to partake of communion. Du ——! ironical expression of refusal. PrÊte-moi dix francs. Dix francs? et du ——? Lend me ten francs? Ten francs? what next? Manger du —— rouge, to live on the proceeds of thefts. (Military) Pain À trente-six sous, soldier’s biscuit. Ton ——, son ——, a reply which is equivalent to nothing of the kind, not at all. Le brigadier a dit qu’il te ficherait au Mazarot. Il y foutra son ——. The corporal said he would send you to the cells. He will do nothing of the kind.

Paing, m. (popular), blow, “bang, clout, wipe,” or, as the Americans say, “biff.” Passer chez ——, to thrash, “to wallop.” See Voie.

Paire, f. (popular), de cymbales, ten francs. (Thieves’) Se faire la ——, to run away, “to guy.” Se faire une —— de mains courantes, to run away, “to guy.” For synonyms see Patatrot. (Military) Une —— d’Étuis de mains courantes, a pair of boots.

Pairs, m. pl. La chambre des ——, was formerly, at the hulks, the part assigned to convicts for life.

Paix-lÀ, m. (popular), usher in a court of justice. I find in Larchey’s Dictionnaire d’Argot the following anecdote:—

Le parasite Montmaur fut un jour persifflÉ dans une maison. DÈs qu’il parut sur le seuil, un des convives se mit À crier guerre! guerre! C’Était un avocat dont le pÈre avait ÉtÉ huissier. Montmaur n’eut garde de l’oublier en lui rÉpondant: “Combien vous dÉgÉnÉrez, monsieur, car votre pÈre n’a jamais dit que paix! paix!”

Palabre, f. (popular), tiresome discourse.

Paladier, m. (thieves’), meadow.

Palais, m. (thieves’), le courrier du ——, the prison van. Called “Black Maria” at Newgate. Termed also “panier À salade.”

Palas, adj. (thieves’), handsome, pretty, nice, “dimber.”

PÂle, m. (domino players’), the white at dominoes.

Paleron, m. (thieves’), foot, “dew-beater.”

Palet, m. (popular), un ——, une thune, or une roue de derriÈre, a five-franc piece.

Paletot, m. (popular), coffin, “cold meat box. (Familiar) Un —— court, a dandy or “masher” of the year 1882. See Gommeux.

Palette, f. (popular and thieves’), guitar; tooth, or “ivory;” hand, “duke.”

Le diable m’enlÈve si je me sauve! Les palettes et les paturons ligotÉs (les mains et les pieds attachÉs).—Vidocq.

PÂlichon, m. (domino players’), double blank.

Pallas, m. (popular and thieves’), puffing speech of mountebanks.

Ah! c’Était le bon temps du “boniment,” de l’ “invite,” du “pallas”:—Prenez, prenez, prenez vos billets.—Journal Amusant.

Faire ——, to make a great fuss. Concerning this term Michel says:—“Terme des camelots et des saltimbanques, empruntÉ À l’ancienne germania espagnole ou ‘hacer pala’ se disait quand un voleur se plaÇait devant la personne qu’il s’agissait de voler, dans le but d’occuper ses yeux.” (Printers’) Pallas, emphatic speech. Faire ——, to make a great fuss apropos of nothing. Concerning the expression Boutmy says:—“C’est sans doute par une reminiscence classique qu’on a empruntÉ ironiquement, pour dÉsigner ce genre de discours, l’un des noms de la sage Minerve, dÉesse de l’Éloquence.”

Combien qui y en a, des pÈgres de la haute qui aprÈs avoir roulÉ sur l’or et l’argent et avoir fait pallas sont allÉs mourir lÀ-bas.—Vidocq.

Pallasser (printers’) to talk in an emphatic manner. Probably for parlasser.

Pallasseur, m. (printers’) one who makes diffuse incoherent speeches while seeking to be emphatic.

PalmÉ, m. and adj. (popular), stupid, foolish fellow, a “flat.” Literally one with webbed feet like a goose’s.

PalmipÈde. See PalmÉ.

Palot, pallot, m. (thieves’), countryman, “clod”. From paille.

Palote, f. (thieves’), peasant woman; moon, “parish lantern, or Oliver.”

Palper (popular), de la galette, to receive money. Se ——, to have to do without.

Je dirai tout ce que tu voudras; seul’ment, tu sais, tu peux t’ palper, c’est comme des dattes pour Être reÇu au rapport.—G. Courteline.

Palpitant, m. (thieves’), the heart, or “panter.”

Va, nous l’avons ÉchappÉ belle, j’en ai encore le palpitant (coeur) qui bat la gÉnÉrale; pose ta main lÀ-dessus, sens-tu comme il fait tic-tac?—Vidocq.

PÂmeur, m. (thieves’), fish. A fish gasps like one swooning.

Pampeluche, Pantin, Pantruche, m. (thieves’), Paris.

Pampez (Breton cant), rustic.

Pampine, f. (thieves’), ugly face, “knocker-face;” sister of mercy. Pampine (obsolete), thick-lipped, coarse mouth.

Et toi, oÙ qu’ t’iras, vilaine pampine, figure À chien, tÊte de singe, matelas d’invalide?—Riche-en-gueule.

PÂmure, f. (popular), smart box on the ear, or “buck-horse.”

Pana, m. (popular), vieux ——, old miser, old “hunks.”

Panache, m. (familiar), avoir du ——, to be elegant, dashing, “to be tsing-tsing.” (Popular) Avoir le ——, to be drunk, or “screwed.” See Pompette. Faire ——, to take a flying leap over one’s horse’s head, an unwilling one, of course.

Panade, f. and adj. (popular), ugly person; without energy, “sappy.”

Panailleux, m. (popular), poor starving wretch, or “quisby.”

Panais, m. (popular), Être en ——, to be in one’s shirt, in one’s “flesh bag.”

Panama, m. (printers’), gross error, “mull.”

BÉvue Énorme, dans la composition, l’imposition ou le tirage, et qui nÉcessite un carton ou un nouveau tirage.—Boutmy.

(Popular) Panama, dandy, or “gorger.” For synonyms see Gommeux.

Panaris, m. (popular), mother-in-law. An allusion to the irritating pain caused by a white swelling on the finger.

Panas, m. pl. (popular), dandy, or “gorger,” see Gommeux; rags; glass splinters and ether refuse. Un ——, poor man out of work, out of “collar.”

Pancarte, f. (military), se faire aligner sur la ——, to get punished.

Pandore, m. (familiar and popular), gendarme. From a song by Nadaud.

PanÉ, adj. and m. (general), needy, hard up, one “in Queer street.”

Tous des panÉs, mon cher! Pas un n’a coupÉ dans le pont. Me mÈnes-tu boulotter au Bouillon Duval?—P. Mahalin.

Panier À salade, m. (popular and thieves’), prison van, or “Black Maria.”

Puis il se dÉtira et se secoua violemment pour rendre l’ÉlasticitÉ À ses membres engourdis par l’exiguitÉ du compartiment du “panier À salade.”—Gaboriau.

Panier au pain, stomach, or “bread-basket.” Avoir chiÉ dans le —— de quelqu’un jusqu’À l’anse, to have behaved very ill to one. (Saint Lazare prisoners’) Recevoir le ——, to receive provisions brought from the outside. (Popular) Panier aux crottes, behind, or “Nancy.”

Pas de clarinette pour secouer le panier aux crottes des dames.—Zola.

Remuer le —— aux crottes, to dance, “to shake a leg.” Le —— aux ordures, bed, “doss, or bug-walk.” Panier À deux anses, man walking with a woman on each arm. (Journalists’) Le —— aux ordures, that part of the paper reserved for quotations from hostile journals. (Thieves’) Le —— À Charlot, the executioner’s basket, that which receives the body of the executed criminal. Charlot is the nickname of the executioner.

A l’autre extrÉmitÉ de la salle, un groupe de dÉtraquÉs dÉvisagent une fille qui a ÉtÉ la maÎtresse d’un guillotinÉ ... ils aiment l’odeur du panier À Charlot.—Louise Michel.

Paniot. See Revidage.

Panioter. See Pagnoter.

Paniquer (thieves), to be afraid, or “funky.” Se ——, to be on one’s guard. Synonymous of “taffer, avoir le taf, le trac, or la frousse.”

Panne, f. (general), poverty; bad circumstances, or “Queer street.”

Quand il n’y a plus de son, les Ânes se battent, n’est-ce pas? Lantier flairait la panne; Ça l’exaspÉrait de sentir la maison dÉjÀ mangÉe.—Zola.

(Picture dealers’) Panne, inferior picture sold above value.

Le brocanteur avait groupÉ un ramassis d’objets tarÉs, invendables ... vous m’entendez, vieux ... pas de carottes, pas de pannes... La dame s’y connaÎt.—A. Daudet, Les Rois en Exil.

(Theatrical) Panne, unimportant part, consisting of a few lines, or part which does not show to advantage an actor’s powers.

Puis, cette saletÉ de Bordenave lui donnait encore une panne, un rÔle de cinquante lignes.—Zola.

(Sailors’) Laisser quelqu’un en ——, to forsake one in difficulties; to leave one in the lurch. Properly to leave one lying to.

Amen! rÉpondit le matelot, mais sans vouloir vous fÂcher, la mÈre, m’est avis que les saints, les anges, et le bon Dieu nous laissent joliment en panne depuis quelque temps.—Richepin, La Glu.

PannÉ, adj. and m. (general), needy; needy man; —— comme la Hollande, very needy, very “hard up.” Etre ——, to be in bad circumstances.

J’suis un homme propre, moi, et Électeur ... et ouvrier ... sans ouvrage depuis qu’ ma soeur est À Lazare. (La dame lui donne dix sous.) Dix sous! Va donc eh! pannÉe! (La dame lui dit zut!)—Mirliton, Gil Blas, 1887.

Ça ne serait pas sans faute, car je suis “pannÉ,” dieu merci, ni peu ni trop.—Vidocq.

The English have the expression, “to be in Queer street.”

I am very high in “Queer Street” just now, ma’am, having paid your little bills before I left town.—Kingsley, Two Years Ago.

Panner quelqu’un (popular), to win one’s money at some game, “to blew one” of his money.

Panoteur, m. (popular), poacher.

Panoufle, f. (popular), wig, “periwinkle.” Old word panufle, list-shoe.

Panser de la main (popular), to thrash, “to wallop.” Panser, to groom.

Pantalon, m. (familiar and popular), donner dans le —— rouge is said of a girl who keeps company with a soldier, who has “an attack of scarlet fever.” In the slang of English officers, a girl fond of their company, and who is passed on from one officer to another, is termed “garrison-hack,” an officer who is very attentive to such being called a “carpet tomcat.” Une boutonniÈre en ——, a semi-prostitute; a sempstress who walks the street at night for purposes of prostitution. See Gadoue.

Pantalonner une pipe (popular), to colour a pipe. From the expression, culotter une pipe.

Pantalzar, m. (popular), trousers, “sit-upons, hams, or kicks.”

Pante, m. (popular and thieves’), man, “cove.” From pantin, dancing puppet.

C’est lorsque la marmite n’a pas donnÉ son fade au barbillon, ou quand un pante refuse de payer l’heureux moment qu’il doit À la dame de l’assommoir. Alors il y a une bÛchade gÉnÉrale.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

(Thieves’) DÉgringoler les pantes, to rob fools, that is, people, “to do a cove.”

Jusqu’À la hardie gonzesse qui a dÉgringolÉ les pantes et vidÉ jusqu’au fond les finettes des ballonÉs.—Louise Michel. (Up to the bold woman who has “done the flats” and emptied the pockets of rich people.)

Faire le —— au machabÉe, to murder a man.

Ah! c’est ... la celle qui est au grand prÉ! Ça s’en donnait, des airs de la madame bienfaisante! et Ça faisait le pante au machabÉe pendant ce temps-lÀ.—Louise Michel. (Ah! it’s the woman who is at the convict settlement! She gave herself the airs of a kind lady, and she all the while was murdering men.)

Pante argotÉ, stupid fool, or “go along;” —— arnau, man who is alive to the fact that he has been robbed, and who objects; —— dÉsargotÉ, wary man, not easily deceived, a “wide one, one who is up to the hour of day, or who is fly to wot’s wot.” Arranger le ——, plumer le ——, to swindle a man of his money at cards. Un —— en robe, a judge, or “beak;” priest, “devil-dodger, or snub-devil.”

J’ai pensÉ, pour me tirer d’peines,

A m’ fair’ frÈr’ des Écoles chrÉtiennes.

Ah! ouiche! Et l’taf des tribunaux?

Puis, j’suis pas pour les pant’ en robe,

Avoir l’air d’un mÂl, v’lÀ c’ que j’gobe.

J’aim’ mieux Êt’ dos.

Richepin, La Chanson des Gueux.

PanthÈre, or panthe, f. (popular), faire sa ——, or pousser sa ——, to walk up and down in a workshop; to go from one wine-shop to another.

PantiÈre, f. (thieves’), mouth. From pannetiÈre, bread-basket. So it exactly corresponds to the English slang “bread-basket.”

Pantin, or Pantruche, m. (popular), Paris. Properly one of the suburbs of Paris.

J’ai fait la connaissance d’une petite fille corse, que j’ai rencontrÉe en arrivant À Pantin (Paris).—Balzac.

Pantinois, pantruchois, m. and adj. (popular), Parisian.

Pantouflards, m. pl. (familiar and popular), name given during the siege of 1871 to Parisians serving in the “Garde nationale sÉdentaire,” whose duties were to keep guard in the interior of the city.

Pantoufle, f. (popular), et cetera ... ——! words used jocularly on completing some arduous, tiresome task, meaning nothing more, and so on. The expression is also used in lieu of an objectionable word forming a climax in sequence to an enumeration, and which, consequently, may easily be divined. In the phrase, C’est un sot, un Âne bÂtÉ, “et cÆtera pantoufle,” the quaint term acts as a substitute for an obscene word of three letters, which, in the mouth of a Frenchman, expresses the acme of his contempt for another’s intellectual worth. The Voltaire newspaper says concerning the expression: “Et cÆtera ... pantoufle! Que signifie cette expression, employÉe dans le langage populaire? LorÉdan Larchey, rÉpond le Courrier de Vaugelas, dÉclare cette locution peu traduisible et dit que le peuple s’en sert comme d’un temps d’arrÊt dans une ÉnumÉration qui menace de devenir malhonnÊte. Elle est mÊme tout À fait intraduisible si l’on ne considÈre que le mot franÇais en lui-mÊme et sa signification vulgaire de chaussure de chambre. A ce point de vue Étroit, il est impossible de saisir la corrÉlation existant entre cette pantoufle et un discours dont on veut taire la fin, ou plutÔt qu’on n’achÈve pas parce que la conclusion est trop connue. Le franÇais, qui souvent s’est taillÉ un vÊtement dans la chlamyde des Grecs, n’a pas dÉdaignÉ non plus de s’introduire dans leurs pantoufles. Nous disons: Et cÆtera pantoufle. Les Grecs entendaient par lÀ: Et les autres choses, toutes de mÊme sorte. Nous sommes en France des traducteurs si serviles, nous avons serrÉ le grec de si prÈs que nous nous sommes confondus avec lui, nous avons traduit le mot grec par pantoufle! Mais d’oÙ nous est venue cette bizarre expression? Comment a-t-elle passÉ dans notre langue? M. Ch. Toubin pense qu’elle nous est vraisemblablement arrivÉe par Marseille. C’est possible, mais nous aimons mieux croire que les Écoliers du moyen Âge, ÉlevÉs dans le jardin des racines grecques, ont ÉtÉ frappÉs de la consonnance de pantoufle avec l’expression grecque et l’ont adoptÉe en la francisant, À la faÇon plaisante des Écoliers.”

PantouflÉ, m. (popular), tailor’s assistant.

Pantre, m. (thieves’), fool, “flat.” An appellation applied by thieves to their victims.

Eh oui, buvons! qui payera? Ça sera les “pantres.”—Vidocq.

Faire un coup À l’esbrouffe sur un ——, see Coup À l’esbrouffe. Arranger les pantres, see Arranger.

Pantriot, m. (popular and thieves’), employer, or “boss;” foolish young fellow.

Pantriote, f. (popular and thieves’), foolish girl.

N’allez pas, dit la grasse boulotte, me vendre, pantriotes que vous Êtes.—Louise Michel.

Pantrouillard, m. (popular and thieves’), man, the slang synonyms being “pante, gonce, chÊne, type, pÉkin,” and the English, “cove, chap, cull, article, codger, buffer.”

Pantruche, (thieves’), Paris. Termed also “Pantin.”

Panturne, f. (bullies’), prostitute, “doxie.” From the Italian cant.

Les souteneurs, dans leur argot, disent: Gaupe, marmite, dabe, largue, ouvriÈre, guÉnippe, ponante, ponisse, panturne, panuche, bourre-de-soie.—LÉo Taxil.

Panuche, f. (thieves’), showily dressed woman, or “burerk;” prostitute who lives in a brothel, a “dress-lodger.” See Gadoue.

Papa, m. (popular), À la ——, in a quiet, sedate manner; in negligent or slovenly style.

Deux infectes petites salles ÉclairÉes par une demi-douzaine de quinquets, tenues À la papa.—Richepin, Le PavÉ.

Pape, m. (popular), stupid fellow, a “flat.” (Students’) Un ——, a glass of bitters.

Au Quartier Latin, l’absinthe s’appelle une purÉe, l’eau-de-vie un pÉtrole, le bock un cercueil, le bitter un pape.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Papelard, m. (thieves’) paper. Maquiller le ——, to write, “to screeve.”

Papier, m. (familiar), À chandelle, insignificant newspaper; —— À douleur, dishonoured bill; —— Joseph, or de soie, bank-note, “rag, screene, soft, or long-tailed one.” Parler ——, to write, “to screeve.” Une mÉdaille de —— volant, or mÉdaille des Pays-Bas (obsolete), lump of excrement.

Oh! je vais te faire voir À qui tu parles, va, mÉdaille de papier volant vis-À-vis de l’hÔtel des Ursins.—Les Raccoleurs, 1756.

“In explanation of the above quotation, it must be mentioned that a piece of ground opposite the HÔtel des Ursins in the CitÉ (that is, in one of the two islands which formed the nucleus of old Paris), was frequented by people for whom nÉcessitÉ n’a pas de loi.” Hence the allusion.

Papillon, m. (thieves’), laundryman; —— d’auberge, table-linen; plate.

BientÔt À dÉfaut de flamberges

Volent les papillons d’auberges;

On s’accueille À grands coups de poing

Sur le nez et sur le grouin.

Les Porcherons.

Avoir des papillons noirs (or bleus) dans la sorbonne, to be despondent, to have the “blue devils.”

Elle soutient que Pavie avait en effet des papillons noirs dans la sorbonne et qu’il n’Était venu la trouver ... que pour se pÉrir.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Papillonner (thieves’), to steal linen, “to smug snowy.”

Papillonneur, m. (thieves’), a rogue who steals wet clothes hung on lines to dry, “lully prigger,” or who rifles washerwomen’s carts.

Papillotes, f. pl. (familiar), bank-notes, “flimsies, or long-tailed ones.”

Papotage, m. (familiar), chat.

Papote, or pochetÉ, m. (popular), fool, or “softy.”

Papoter (familiar), to chat, “to gabble.”

Paquelin, m. (thieves’), for patelin, flatterer.

Paqueliner (thieves’), to flatter.

Paquemon, m. (thieves’), parcel, or “peter.” Paquet, with suffix mon.

Paquet, m. (popular), ridiculously dressed woman, a “guy.” Avoir son ——, to be drunk, “to be primed.” See Pompette. (Familiar and popular) Risquer le ——, to venture. (Card-sharpers’) Faire le ——, to cheat by arranging cards in a peculiar manner when shuffling them.

Paquetier, m. (printers’), compositor who has to deal only with the composition of lines, without titles, &c.; —— d’honneur, head “paquetier.”

Parabole, f. (thieves’), paradise.

Parade, f. (military), dÉfiler la ——, to die, “to lose the number of one’s mess.” See Pipe. (Printers’) Parade, any kind of joke, good or bad, a “wheeze.” (Popular) BÉnÉdiction de ——, kick on the behind; alluding to kicks clowns give one another in a preliminary farcical performance outside a booth.

Paradouze, or part-À-douze, m. (military), paradise. A play on the word paradis.

Paralance, m. (popular), umbrella, “mush, or rain-napper.” From parer, to ward off, and lance, water.

Parangonner (printers’), to adjust properly type of different sizes in the composing stick. Se ——, to steady oneself when one feels groggy.

Paraphe, f. (popular), slap, blow, “wipe,” or “bang.” DÉtacher une ——, or parapher, to slap one’s face, “to fetch one a wipe in the mug.”

Parapluie, m. (popular), essence de ——, water, “Adam’s ale.” (Military) Envoyer chercher le —— de l’escouade, to send for the squad’s umbrella. A joke perpetrated at the expense of a recruit, or “Johnny raw,” who gets crammed by the knowing ones, who make him believe that each squad possesses a gigantic umbrella, entrusted to the care of the latest joined recruits.

Parc, m. (thieves’), theatre, “gaff.” (Popular) Ne-te-gÊne-pas-dans-le ——, short jacket.

ParÉ, adj. (thieves’), Être ——, to be ready for execution. The convict’s hair is shorn close by the executioner a few minutes before he is led to the terrible engine. The operation is termed “la toilette du condamnÉ.” Hence the expression.

Pareil, adj. (thieves’), Être ——, to act in concert.

Parent, m. (thieves’), parishioner.

Parer (popular), la coque, to escape some deserved punishment by taking to flight; to get out of some scrape. (Thieves’) La —— À quelqu’un, to assist one, that is, to ward off a blow from fortune. La rien —— À un aminche, to readily assist a friend. (Cocottes’) Parer sa cÔtelette, to dress, to adorn oneself.

On n’a pas besoin de tant d’Étoffe, d’abord. Et puis ces demoiselles dÉgottent un boucher dans l’art de parer leurs cÔtelettes.—P. Mahalin, Mesdames de Coeur-volant.

Parfait, adj. (popular), amour, or crÈme de cocu, sweet liquor for ladies; —— amour de chiffonnier, coarse brandy. Termed “bingo” in old English cant.

Parfond, m. (thieves’), pie; pastry, “magpie.”

Parfonde, or profonde, f. (thieves’), pocket, “cly, sky-rocket, or brigh;” cellar.

C’est lui qui a rincÉ la profonde (cave) de la fille, dit Fil-de-soie À l’oreille du Biffon. On voulait nous coquer le taffe (faire peur) pour nos thunes de balles (nos piÈces de cent sous).—Balzac, La derniÈre Incarnation de Vautrin.

Parigot, m. (popular), Parisian.

Paris, m. (familiar), Monsieur de ——, official title of the executioner. The office was held by the Samson family for a considerable time. See Monsieur.

Parisien, m. (military), active, cheery, knowing soldier; (sailors’) awkward man, “a lubber;” (horse-dealers’) worthless horse which finds no purchaser, “screw.” Probably an allusion to Paris cab-horses, which are anything but high-mettled steeds. (Domino players’) Parisien, cheating at a game of dominoes.

Parlement, or parlementage (popular), language, discourse.

Un mÉchant bailli de malheur

S’avisi de rendre eun’ sentence ...

Mais si j’savions l’parlementage,

Tous ces Messieurs qui ont l’honneur,

Auriont rÉparÉ not’ malheur,

En empÊchant tout’ leux malice

Par la bontÉ de leux justice.

Les Citrons de Javotte.

Ouvrir le ——, to talk, “to jaw.”

Parler (popular), chrÉtien, to speak intelligibly; (theatrical) —— du puits, to waste one’s time in idle discourse; —— sur quelqu’un, to give the cue before a brother performer has concluded his tirade, “to corpse” him; (artists’) —— en bas-relief, to mutter; (popular) —— landsman, to speak German; (military) —— papier, to write.

Parloir des singes, m. (prisoners’), room where prisoners are allowed to see their friends from behind a grating.

Le meurtrier ... dÉpassa la salle des gardiens, laissa À droite le “parloir des singes” et entra dans le greffe.—Gaboriau, Monsieur Lecoq.

Parlotter (familiar), to chat.

Parlotterie, f., (familiar), chat.

Parlotteur, m. (familiar), chatterbox, “clack-box.”

Parmesard, m. (popular), poor devil with threadbare clothes. A play on the word “rÂpÉ,” rasped, threadbare—rÂpÉ comme du Parmesan.

Paroissien, m. (familiar and popular), individual. Un drÔle de ——, a queer fellow, a “rum cove.” (Popular) Paroissien de Saint-Pierre aux boeufs, blockhead, “cabbage-head.”

Paron, m. (thieves’), square, pas rond.

Paroufle, f. (thieves’), parish.

Parquet, m. (familiar), le ——, is the company of official stockbrokers, who transact business round “la corbeille,” or circular enclosure in the Stock Exchange. “Les coulissiers” are the unofficial jobbers, and “courtiers marrons,” the kerbstone brokers, many of whom are swindlers. The offices of the Procureur de la RÉpublique, or public prosecutor, go also by the name of parquet.

Parrain, m. (thieves’), witness.

Des parrains aboulÉs dans le burlin du quart d’oeil ont bonni qu’ils reconnobraient ma frime pour l’avoir allumÉe sur la placarde du fourmillon, au moment du grinchissage.—Vidocq. (Some witnesses who came to the office of the “commissaire de police” said that they knew my face because they had seen it in the market-place when the theft took place.)

Parrain, barrister, “mouthpiece;” deputy judge; —— d’altÈque, witness for the defence; —— bÊcheur, public prosecutor; —— fargueur, witness for the prosecution. Faire suer un ——, to kill a witness. Un —— À la manque, a false witness, or “rapper.”

It was his constant maxim that he was a pitiful fellow who would stick at a little rapping for his friend.—Fielding, J. Wild.

Parrainage, m. (thieves’), depositions.

Part, f. (obsolete), kindness.

C’est-t’y parler Ça? Monsieux, j’pense tout d’mÊme que comme vous.—Ma commÈre, c’est un effet de ... de votre part.—VadÉ.

Part-À-douze, m. (military), paradise.

Tas de “gourgauts,” vocifÈre-t-il, ce sont eux qui sont cause de Ça! ... ah! nom d’une soupe À l’oignon! Ils ne le porteront pas en “part-À-douze.”—C. Dubois de Gennes.

Partageuse, f. (familiar), kept woman.

Partageux, m. (peasants’), republican.

Parterre, m. (popular), prendre un billet de ——, to fall, “to come a cropper.” A pun: le parterre, the pit in a theatre; par terre, on the ground.

Parti, adj. (familiar and popular), drunk; asleep.

Allons, les voilÀ partis, dit Vautrin en remuant la tÊte du pÈre Goriot et celle d’EugÈne.—Balzac.

Parti pour la gloire, drunk, or “screwed.” See Pompette.

Particulier, m. (military), civilian; (familiar) individual, “party.”

Vous protestez comme un beau diable, et, si l’ particulier s’entÊte, vous allez sur lui, vous montrez qu’ vous n’avez point froid aux yeux en lui disant: “Toi, j’ te vas sortir!”—Le Cri du Peuple, Janvier, 1887.

ParticuliÈre, f. (general), mistress. Ma ——, my little girl, my “lady-bird.” The word had formerly the meaning of prostitute.

Partie, f. (popular), faire une —— de traversin, to sleep two in a bed, “to read a curtain lecture.” Fille À parties, variety of prostitute. See Gadoue.

En gÉnÉral, pour Être admis chez elles, il faut y Être prÉsentÉ par un habituÉ de leurs rÉunions; elles donnent des dÎners et des soirÉes.—LÉo Taxil.

Partir (military), la paille au cul, to be discharged after having been under arrest or in prison. An allusion to the straw in the cells; —— du pied droit, to act against regulations; (familiar and popular) —— pour la gloire, to get drunk, or “screwed.” See Sculpter.

Pas, m. (military), mettre au ——, to reprimand, to punish; (thieves’) —— si cher! do not speak so loud! hold your tongue! “mum your dubber!” (popular) —— mal ... pour le canal is said of an ugly woman.

Pascailler (thieves’), to supplant one.

Pasclin, pasquelin, m. (thieves’), country. Le boulanger t’entrolle en son ——, may the devil take you to his abode.

Passade, f. (printers’), pecuniary aid allowed to workmen for whom work cannot be found; (familiar) temporary intercourse with a woman. Donner une ——, to place one’s hands on a bather’s shoulders and pass over him, meanwhile sending him below the surface.

Passant, m. (thieves’), shoe, or “trotter-case.”

Passante, f. (thieves’), shuttle. Pousser la ——, to weave.

Elle pousse la passante, lÀ-bas À Auberive pour du temps, va! Elle aura de la neige sur la hurse (tÊte) quand tu la reverras.—Louise Michel.

Passe, f. (thieves’), guillotine. Etre gerbÉ À la ——, to be sentenced to death. Ecornifler À la ——, to kill. (Prostitutes’) Faire une ——, to meet a man in a house of accommodation.

En province ... les maisons de la plus haute classe sont assez luxueuses sans atteindre au faste sardanapalesque des lupanars aristocratiques de la capitale: le prix de la passe y est de dix francs, cinq francs au minimum.—LÉo Taxil.

(Familiar) Maison de ——, house of accommodation, “flash drum.”

PassÉ, adj. (popular) Être —— au bain de rÉglisse, to belong to the negro race, to be a “bit o’ ebony.” Negroes go by the appellations of “boÎte À cirage, bamboula, bille de pot au feu, boule de neige.”

Passe-cric, m. (thieves’), passport.

Passe-de-cambre, f. (thieves’), slipper.

Passe-lacet, m. (familiar), gay girl, “mot.” For list of synonyms see Gadoue.

Passe-lance, m. (thieves’), boat. From passer, and lance, water.

Passe-passe, m. (card-sharpers’), swindling trick at cards, which consists in passing a card over. Joueur de ——, swindler. Rabelais uses the term jouer de passe-passe with the signification of to steal:—

Qui desrobe, ravist et joue de passe-passe.—Pantagruel.

Passer (popular), au bleu, to disappear; (military) —— À la casserole, the operation consists in placing a man suffering from a dangerous venereal disease in a vapour bath, and leaving him there till he becomes unconscious. It is for him a case of “kill or cure;” —— au dixiÈme, to become mad; —— des curettes, to make a fool of one, “to bamboozle.”

Mon lapin, faut pas qu’ ÇÀ te la coupe, mais j’suis trop ancien au peloton pour qu’on essaye de me passer des curettes.—G. Courteline.

Passer la jambe À Thomas, or À Jules, to empty the privy tub. (Familiar) Passer devant la glace, to pay, “to shell out.” An allusion to the looking-glass behind the counter of cafÉs or restaurants, and before which one must stand while paying for the reckoning; to obtain gratis the favours of a prostitute at a brothel; —— devant la mairie, to get married without the assistance of the registrar, to live “tally;” —— la main dans les cheveux, to praise, “to give soft sawder.” Termed “genuine” at Winchester School; (general) —— l’arme À gauche, to die, “to kick the bucket.” See Pipe. Termed, in the English military slang, “to lose the number of one’s mess.”

Un criminel que la dÉbauche

Avait conduit À l’Échafaud,

Au moment d’passer l’arme À gauche

Dit À l’oreille du bourreau:

Y a plus moyen d’rigoler,

Plus d’cascades, d’rigolades,

C’est inutil’ d’essayer,

Y a plus moyen d’rigoler!

LÉon Garnier.

Se —— quelque chose sous le nez, to drink, “to liquor up.” See Rincer. (Shopmen’s) Passer debout, to be punctual at the shop; (thieves’) —— À la plume, to be ill-treated by a detective, “to be set about by a nark;” —— À casserole, to be informed against; —— À la fabrication, to be robbed; —— À la sorgue, to sleep, “to doss;” —— chez paings, or au tabac, to thrash; —— par les piques, to be in danger. Se —— de belle, not to get one’s share of booty, or “regulars;” to find nothing to rob. (Theatrical) Ne pas —— la rampe is said of an actor or play that find no great favour with the public. (Familiar) Ne pas pouvoir, or ne plus pouvoir —— sous la porte Saint-Denis is said of an unfortunate man whose wife has one or more lovers. (Roughs’) Passer À travers, to thrash, to be thrashed. See Voie. Se —— le chiffon, to wash one’s face. (Police) Passer au tabac, to compel a prisoner to obey by ill-treating him; —— la censure, to inspect prisoners so as to pick out old offenders; (convicts’) —— sur le banc, to be flogged.

PassÉ-singe, m. (popular and thieves’), very cunning, knowing man, an old bird not to be caught by chaff.

Pas d’Ça Lisette, casquez d’abord. Je vous connais, vous Êtes marlou mais je suis passÉ-singe.—Vidocq. (None of your tricks; pay first of all. I know you; you are a cunning fellow, but I am an old bird, not to be caught by chaff.)

Passes, m. pl. (thieves’), shoes; —— À la rousse, elegant shoes.

Passez-moi le fil (military), ironical expression which may be rendered by, Well, what next I wonder!

Passifleur, m. (popular and thieves’), shoemaker, or “snob.”

Passifs, m. pl. (printers’ and thieves’), shoes.

Et mes passifs, dÉjÀ veufs de semelle,

M’ont aujourd’ hui plantÉ lÀ tout À fait.

Chanson du Rouleur.

Pastille, f. (familiar), venir en pastilles de Vichy, to go to an evening party without having been invited to the dinner which precedes it. Vichy salts facilitate digestion. (Popular) Pastille, fifty-centime coin. See Moule. DÉtacher une —— dans son culbutant, to ease oneself in a manner which may be better described by the Latin word “crepitare.”

Pastiquer (thieves’), to pass; —— la maltouze, to smuggle. From passer.

Pastourelle, f. (military), trumpet call for extra drill.

Patagueule, adj. and m. (popular), one who gives himself airs; a conceited ass. Etre ——, to show ridiculous affectation.

C’est lui qui trouvait Ça patagueule, de jouer le drame devant le monde! ... elle le prenait peut-Être pour un dÉpuceleur de nourrices, À venir l’intimider avec ses histoires.—Zola.

Patarasses, f. pl. (thieves’), small pads made of rags used by convicts to avoid the painful friction of their fetters.

Il me semble encore le voir sur le banc treize faire des patarasses (bourrelets pour garantir les jambes) pour les fagots (forÇats).—Vidocq.

Patard, m. (popular), a two-sous coin. Termed patac by Rabelais.

Patatrot, m. (thieves’), faire le ——, to decamp, to run away. The synonyms for various kinds of slang are: “Faire la fille de l’air, le lÉzard, le jat jat, la paire, cric, gilles; jouer la fille de l’air, se dÉguiser en cerf, s’Évanouir, se cramper, tirer sa crampe, se lÂcher du ballon, se la couler, se donner de l’air, se pousser du Zeph, se sylphider, se la trotter, se la courir, se faire la dÉbinette, jouer des fourchettes, se la donner, se la briser, ramasser un bidon, se la casser, se la tirer, tirer ses grinches, valser, se tirer les pincettes, se tirer des pieds, se tirer les baladoires, les pattes, les trimoires, or les flÛtes; jouer des guibes, or des quilles, se carapater, se barrer, baudrouiller, se cavaler, faire une cavale, jouer des paturons, happer le taillis, flasquer du poivre, dÉcaniller, dÉcarer, exhiber son prussien, dÉmurger, dÉsarrer, gagner les gigoteaux, se faire une paire de mains courantes À la mode, fendre l’ergot, filer son noeud, se dÉfiler, s’Écarbouiller, esballonner, filer son cable par le bout, faire chibis, dÉraper, fouiner, se la fracturer, jouer des gambettes, s’esbigner, ramoner ses tuyaux, foutre le camp, tirer le chausson, se vanner, ambier, chier du poivre, se dÉbiner, caleter, attacher une gamelle, camper.” In the English slang: “To skedaddle, to cut one’s lucky, to sling one’s hook, to make beef, to guy, to mizzle, to bolt, to cut and run, to slip one’s cable, to step it, to leg it, to tip the double, to amputate one’s mahogany, to make or to take tracks, to hook it, to absquatulate, to slope, to slip it, to paddle, to evaporate, to vamose, to speel, to tip your rags a gallop, to walk one’s chalks, to pike, to hop the twig, to turn it up, to cut the cable and run before the wind.”

PÂte, m. and f. (artists’), quality of the layer of colour in oil paintings, (popular) employer, or “boss.” (Thieves’) Une ——, or patte, a file. (Printers’) Mettre en ——, to allow a forme of composition to fall, the letters getting mixed up; to make “pie.” (Literary) PÂte ferme, an article written throughout without any blanks. Se mettre en ——, to fall. Etre mis en ——, to receive a blow or a wound in a fight.

PÂtÉ, m. (printers’), type of different kinds, which has got mixed up. Faire du ——, to distribute such type. PÂtÉ de la veille, meal provided for the compositors who are about to do night work. (Popular) PÂtÉ d’ermite, walnut.

Il ne faisoit chez soi plus grand festin que de pastez d’hermite.—Qu’est-ce que cette viande?—Noix, amandes, noisettes.—Le Moyen de Parvenir.

PÂtÉe, f. (popular), thrashing, “walloping.” See Voie.

Patente, f. (popular), bully’s cap.

PatentÉ, m. (popular), woman’s bully, “pensioner.” For synonyms see Poisson.

Paternel, m. (students’), father, “governor.”

Patinage, m. (popular), liberties taken with a woman, “slewthering,” as the Irish term it, or “fiddling.”

Patiner (popular), to handle; to take liberties with a woman; —— le trottoir, to walk the street as a prostitute; —— la dame de pique, or le carton, to play cards. Se ——, to hurry; to run away, “to brush.” See Patatrot. Se —— en double, to hurry.

Donnez-moi votre bagage tout en bloc, que j’arrange tout Ça en deux temps et cinq mouvements; il s’agit de se patiner en double.—C. Dubois de Gennes.

PÂtissier, m. (popular), sale ——, dirty man, “chatty;” an unscrupulous, heartless man.

Patoche, f. (school-boys’), cut on the hand given by a schoolmaster with a ruler; (popular) hand, “daddle.”

Retire tes patoches, colle-moi Ça dans un tiroir.—Zola.

Patouiller (popular), to handle.

Patraque, f. (thieves’), patrol. (Military) Perdre la ——, to become crazy.

Au colon? C’est-y que tu perds la patraque? OÙ c’est qu’ t’as vu que les hommes punis de cellule peuvent causer au colonel?—G. Courteline.

Patrarque, or patraque, f. (thieves’), police patrol.

Mais dÉjÀ la patrarque,

Au clair de la moucharde

Nous reluque de loin.

Vidocq.

Patrie, f. (Bohemians’), chest of drawers.

Patron, m. (military), colonel. Termed also “colon.”

Patron-minette, m. (popular), dawn; formerly a gang of notorious rogues.

Patrouille, f. (popular), Être en ——, to have drinking revels, “to be on the tiles.”

Patte, f. (artists’), avoir de la ——, to have a skilful touch. Une —— d’enfer, a dashing style.

Je le transportai le plus fidÈlement possible sur ma toile ... il me dit d’un ton rogue: “Cela est plein de chic et de ficelles; vous avez une patte d’enfer.”—Th. Gautier, Les Jeune-France.

(Popular) Un entonnoir À ——, a wine-glass. Fournir des pattes, to go away, “to bunk.” Se payer une paire de pattes, or se tirer des pattes, to run away, “to crush.” See Patatrot.

Un fichu tour que m’a fait un voyageur, il s’est tirÉ des pattes pendant que ma berline roulait.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

(Military) Pattes de crapaud, epaulets. (Roughs’) Ramasser les pattes À un gas, to thrash one, “to wallop” one. (Familiar and popular) Pattes de lapin, short whiskers. Termed also “hauts de cÔtelettes.” Aller À ——, to go on foot.

Patte-d’oie, f. (popular), crossways.

Patu, m. (popular), flat cake.

PÂturer (popular), to eat, “to grub.” See Mastiquer.

Paturons, m. pl. (popular and thieves’), feet, “dew-beaters.” Jouer des ——, se tirer les ——, to run away, “to brush, to guy.” See Patatrot.

Paume, f. (popular), loss; difficulty; fix. Faire une ——, to fail.

Paumer (thieves’), to take, “to collar;” to apprehend, “to smug.” Etre paumÉ, to be apprehended, “to be smugged.”

Tu n’as pas oubliÉ c’t escarpe qui aprÈs avoir voulu buter une largue sur le Pont au Change, se jeta À la lance pour Échapper À la poursuite de l’abadis et que tu fis enquiller chez mÉzigue au moment oÙ il allait Être paumÉ.—Vidocq.

Paumer la sorbonne, to become mad, or “balmy.” Se faire —— marron, to be caught in the act, red-handed. PaumÉ marron, caught in the act.

Les voilÀ, comme dans la chanson de Manon, “tretous paumÉs marrons.”—Vidocq.

(Thieves’ and cads’) Paumer, to lose, “to blew.” T’es À l’affure? Non, j’ai paumÉ tout mon carme. Have you made any profits? No, I have lost all my money. Paumer son fade, to spend one’s money; —— l’atout, to lose heart.

PaupiÈre, f. (popular), s’en battre la ——, not to care a straw, not to care a “hang.”

Pauses, f. pl. (musicians’), compter des ——, to take a nap.

PavÉ, m. (familiar), rÉclame, overdone puff which misses the mark. An allusion to the proverbial pavÉ de l’ours, or act of an ill-advised friend who, thinking to render a service, does an ill turn. (Familiar and popular) Des pavÉs, creditors.

De lÀ on communiquait avec les caves et la cour, ce qui permettait À Tom d’entrer, de sortir, sans Être vu, d’Éviter les fÂcheux et les crÉanciers, ce qu’en argot parisien on appelle les “pavÉs.”—A. Daudet.

A man who has several creditors living in a street which he deems prudent to avoid, will say, “Il y a des barricades.” (Popular) Faire la place pour les pavÉs À ressort, to pretend to be looking for some work to do. Inspecteur des pavÉs, idle fellow who prefers sauntering about to working. N’avoir plus de pavÉs dans la rue de la gueule, to be toothless. (Freemasons’) PavÉ mosaÏque, hall of meeting of freemasons. For other expressions connected with the word see Fusiller, Gratter.

PavÉe, f. (popular), rue ——, street where one may fall in with one’s creditors, and which, in consequence, is to be avoided. See Paver.

Paver (familiar). On pave! exclamation which is meant to denote that a certain street alluded to is to be avoided as being frequented by one’s creditors.

Pavillon, m. (popular), madcap; throat. S’humecter le ——, to drink, “to wet, or whet one’s whistle.” See Rincer.

Pavillonner (thieves’), to drink; to make merry.

Ensuite on renquillera dans la taule À mÉzigue pour refaiter gourdement et chenument pavillonner.—Vidocq.

Pavois, adj. (popular), intoxicated, “screwed.” See Pompette. Etre ——, to be intoxicated, or to talk nonsense, like one in his cups, like one “cup shotten.”

Pavoiser (sailors’), se ——, to dress oneself in Sunday clothes. Etre pavoisÉ en noir, to be in a towering rage, to look as black as thunder.

Payer (popular), se —— une culotte, to get drunk, to go on the “booze.”

J’ mets pas d’habit, mais sacrebleu!

Faudra que j’ me paie un’ culotte.

E. CarrÉ.

(Theatrical) Faire —— la goutte, to hiss, “to goose.” (Printers’) Payer son article sept, to pay for one’s footing. An allusion to some regulation of printers’ by-laws. (Thieves’) Faire ——, to get one convicted.

Il complota de me faire payer (condamner).—Vidocq.

Payot, m. (thieves’), convict employed as accountant at a penal settlement—an office eagerly sought after.

Pays, m. (literary), BrÉda, the Quartier BrÉda, one much patronized by cocottes—a kind of Paris Pimlico. (Popular) Le —— des marmottes, mother earth. S’en aller dans le —— des marmottes, to die, “to kick the bucket.” (Familiar) Le —— des fourrures, group of certain speculators on ’Change.

Il (le Krach) a jetÉ l’alarme parmi les toquets de loutre et dans le Pays des fourrures. On appelle ainsi: d’un cÔtÉ les femmes qui jouent, les timbaliÈres, comme je les ai appelÉes; de l’autre, des gens du monde qui se groupent, couverts de paletots fourrÉs d’astrakan ou de loutre, dans un coin de la Bourse.—J. Claretie.

Pays-Bas, m. pl. (popular), the breech, or “Nancy.” Properly the Netherlands.

Payse, f. (military), sweetheart.

Pchutt, pschutt, gratin, vlan, m. (familiar), the pink of fashion.

Pchutteux, m. and adj. (familiar), dashing, “tsing tsing;” dandy, or “masher.” For synonymous expressions see Gommeux.

Peau, f. (popular), woman of questionable character; prostitute.

Guy qui m’ prÉfÈre une Christiane Andermatt! ... parc’ qu’elle a du linge, et de l’Éducation, et des principes.... A faute bien, parbleu! comm’ les autres, c’te peau-lÀ, mais y lui faut des accessoires: eul’ clair d’lune, des ruines.—Le Cri du Peuple, 14 Janvier, 1887.

Une —— de chien, same meaning. For list of synonyms see Gadoue. Une —— de bouc, skinny breasts. Une —— de lapin, a vendor of checks or countermarks at a theatre. Faire la —— de lapin, to sell countermarks. La ——! no! blow it all! Faire ronfler la —— d’Âne, to beat the drum. Pour la ——, for nothing, gratis. TraÎner sa ——, to be idling, not knowing what to do, “to loaf.” (Sailors’) Peau de bitte et balai de crin, nothing, not a farthing! (Soldiers’) Peau de balle, de libi, or de noeud, no, nothing; —— d’zÈbe, —— d’balle et balai de crin, nothing.

Ici, les hommes ed’ la classe, comme v’lÀ moi, ont tout juste peau d’zÈbe, peau d’balle et balai de crin!—G. Courteline.

Il est poli —— d’noeud, he is polite, oh, just! (Printers’) La peau, nothing at all.

De quoi? on nous apprend la peau. AprÈs le bourrage des lignes, basta. Si on fait quelquechose en sortant de lÀ c’est pas la faute au type qui est censÉ nous faire l’École.—Journal des Imprimeurs.

Peaufiner (popular), to impart finish to some piece of work.

Peausser (thieves’), se ——, to dress oneself; to disguise oneself.

Bien, je vais me peausser en gendarme, j’y serai; je les entendrai, je rÉponds de tout.—Balzac, Vautrin.

Peccavi, m. (thieves’), sin.

PÊche, f. (popular), head, or “tibby,” see Tronche; countenance, or “phiz.” DÉposer une ——, to ease oneself. Se faire Épiler la ——, to get oneself shaved at the barber’s. Une canne À ——, a lanky individual. (Literary) Une —— À quinze sous, cocotte of the better sort, a “pretty horse-breaker.” The expression belongs to A. Dumas fils.

N’Étaient-elles pas plus sympathiques, ces filles de Paris, que toutes ces drÔlesses, pÊches À quinze sous de Dumas fils.—Maxime Rude.

PÊcher (familiar), À la ligne. See Ligne. PÊcher une friture dans le Styx, to be dead. Aller —— une friture dans le Styx, to die. See Pipe.

PÊcheur. See Ligne.

PÉchon, m. (old cant), young scamp; child, or “kid.”

PÉcoreur, m. (thieves’), card-sharper, or “magsman;” street thief, or “gun.” The latter is a diminutive of gonnuf, or gunnof. A “gun’s” practice is known as “gunoving.”

Pectoral, m. (familiar), s’humecter le ——, to drink, “to have a drop of something damp, or to wet one’s whistle.” See Rincer.

PÉcune, f. (popular), money, “needful, or loaver.” See Quibus.

PÉdÉ, or pÉdÉro, m. (popular). From pÉdÉraste, Sodomist, or “gentleman of the back door.”

Pedzouille, m. (familiar and popular), peasant, “clod, or chaw-bacon;” fellow without any energy; coward.

PÉgale, or pÉgole, f. (popular), pawnbroker’s shop, or “lug chovey.”

PÉgoce, m. (thieves’), louse, “gold-backed ’un.”

PÉgocier, m. (thieves’), a lousy individual, a “chatty” fellow.

PÉgrage, or pÉgrasse, m. (thieves’), theft, “lay;” thieving, “prigging.” See Grinchissage.

PÈgre, m. and f. (thieves’), un ——, a thief, or “prig.” From the Italian pegro, idle fellow. See Grinche.

Montron drogue À sa largue,

Bonnis-moi donc, girofle,

Qui sont ces pÈgres-lÀ?

Des grinchisseurs de bogues,

Esquinteurs de boutogues,

Les conobres-tu pas?

Vidocq.

Fielding uses the term “prig” for a thief:—

He said he was sorry to see any of his gang guilty of a breach of honour; that without honour “priggery” was at an end; that if a “prig” had but honour he would overlook every vice in the world.—Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great.

Un —— À marteau, rogue who confines his attentions to property of small value. La pÈgre, the confraternity of thieves, swindlers, burglars, &c., or “family-men.” La haute-pÈgre, the swell-mob. La basse-pÈgre, low thieves.

La Haute-PÈgre comprend gÉnÉralement tous les voleurs en habit noir ... la haute-pÈgre s’affirme par une adresse incomparable; la basse-pÈgre, par une fÉrocitÉ qui ne se retrouve que dans le pays des cannibales.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Un —— de la haute, one of the swell-mob.

Il rÉsultera la preuve que le susdit marquis est tout simplement un pÈgre de la haute.—Vidocq.

PÉgrenne, f. (thieves’), hunger. “Pigritia,” says V. Hugo, “est un mot terrible. Il engendre un monde, la pÈgre, lisez le vol, et un enfer, la pÉgrenne, lisez la faim. Ainsi la paresse est mÈre. Elle a un fils, le vol, et une fille, la faim.” Caner la ——, to be starving, “to be bandied.”

Si queuquefois la fourgate et Rupin ne lui collaient pas quelques sigues dans l’arguemine, il serait forcÉ de caner la pÉgrenne.—Vidocq. (Should the receiver and Rupin not put some money in his hand now and then he would starve.)

PÉgrenner (thieves’), to have but scanty fare; to suffer from hunger.

PÉgrer (thieves’), to arrest, “to smug;” to steal, “to claim.” See Grincher. PÉgrer, to be destitute, to be “quisby.” Je me suis fait —— toute ma galette, I have been “done” of all my “tin.” Je viens de —— l’artiche À son gniasse, je me suis fait cric et la riflette a cavalÉ derriÈre moi pour me ——, I have just eased him of his money and the policeman ran after me to apprehend me.

PÉgriot, m., (thieves’), young thief, “ziff.”

Le pÉgriot dÉbute dans cette triste carriÈre À l’Âge de dix À douze ans: alors il vole aux Étalages des Épiciers, fruitiers ou autres.—Canler.

PÉgriot, thief who steals only articles of small value.

Le pÉgriot occupe les derniers degrÉs de l’Échelle au sommet de laquelle sont placÉs les pÈgres de la haute.—MÉmoires de Canler.

BrÛler le ——, to obliterate all traces of a robbery or crime.

Peigne, m. (thieves’), key, or “screw;” (popular) —— d’allemand, the fingers. The expression is old. Rabelais uses it:—

AprÈs se peignoit du peigne de Almaing, c’estoit des quatre doigts et le poulce.—Gargantua.

Peigne-cul, m. (popular), coarse, rude fellow; contemptible fellow.

PeignÉe, f. (popular), se repasser, or se foutre une ——, to fight, “to have a mill.”

Peigner (popular), avoir d’autres chiens À ——, to have far more important things to do.

Vous comprenez que j’ai d’autres chiens À peigner que de m’en aller chercher des lits dans un endroit oÙ il n’y en a pas.—G. Courteline.

Se ——, to fight.

Peintre, m. (military), sweeper; the broom being assimilated to a brush, and termed “pinceau.”

Peinturlure, f. (familiar), worthless picture, a “daub.”

Peinturlurer (familiar), se ——, to paint one’s face, to put “slap” on.

Peinturlureur, m. (familiar), artist devoid of any ability, a “dauber.”

Peinturomanie, f. (familiar), mania for pictures.

PÉkin, peckin, or pÉquin, m. (military), civilian. Michel traces it to pequichinus, and Du Cange to piquechien, both meaning low fellow; but more probably it is meant for habitant de PÉkin, or it originated from an allusion to the cloth called pÉkin, much worn under the First Empire by civilians.

Je suis fantassin,

Cet État j’l’aim’ bien

Et j’fais autant d’bÉguins,

Que si j’Étais peckin.

E. Ouvrard.

The expression is used also by civilians with the signification of man, “party.” The term “party” is said to have arisen in the old English justice courts, where, to save “his worship” and the clerk of the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the word party was generally employed. (Familiar and popular) PÉkin chic, swell; generous or clever fellow. S’habiller en ——, to dress in mufti. (Popular) Bousculeur de ——, workman who hates middle-class people, and who seeks to annoy them—a mason, for instance, who, going by a well-dressed person, brushes with his sackful of plaster against the person’s coat, &c. (Saint-Cyr cadets’) PÉkin de bahut, a cadet who has finished his studies. The word “pÉkin” is synonymous of “chinois,” a term of contempt.

PÉlago, or PÉlague, f. (thieves’), the prison of Sainte-PÉlagie, where offenders against the press laws are confined.

On l’a fourrÉ dans la tirelire

Avec les pÈgres d’PÉlago.

Richepin.

PÉlard, m. (thieves’), hay. From pelouse.

PÉlarde, f. (thieves’), scythe.

PÉlaud, pÉlo, or pÉlot, m. (popular), sou. Corruption of palet.

Si tu fais ce coup-lÀ, j’arrose de deux litr’s de marc! Ça y est, fais voir tes pÉlauds.—G. Courteline.

PelÉ, m. (thieves’), main road, “high Toby.”

PÉlican, m. (thieves’), peasant, or “clod.” (Popular) Se camoufler en ——, to assume the garb of a peasant. (Popular and thieves’) Un ——, a dressy prostitute of the Boulevards.

Pelle (gay girls’), faire danser un homme sur la —— À feu, to make repeated calls on a man’s purse. (Popular) Recevoir la —— au cul, to be dismissed, to get “the sack.”

Pelletas, m. (popular), poor devil.

PÉlo, m. (popular). See PÉlaud.

Pelochon, or polochon, m. (popular), bolster. Se flanquer un coup de ——, to sleep, “to doss.” (Military) Mille pelochons! a mild oath, “darn it.”

Pelotage, m. (familiar), flattery, or “blarney;” taking liberties with a woman, or “fiddling.” Il y a du ——, is said of a woman with fine, well-developed bosoms, and other charms to match.

Peloter (familiar and popular), to thrash; to flatter with a view to obtaining some advantage from one.

Il ne blaguait plus le sergent de ville en l’appelant Badingue, allait jusqu’À lui concÉder que l’empereur Était un bon garÇon, peut-Être. Il paraissait surtout estimer Virginie ... c’Était visible; il les pelotait.—Zola.

Peloter une femme, to take liberties with a woman, “to fiddle,” or, as the Irish term it, “to slewther;” —— la dame de pique, or le carton, to play cards; (thieves’) —— le carme, to gaze with loving and longing eyes at the gold and silver coins in a money-changer’s window; (fencing) —— quelqu’un, to worst one at a fencing bout.

Peloteur, m. (popular), one who is soft-spoken, plausible, “mealy-mouthed.” Also one fond of taking liberties with the fair sex, fond of “fiddling,” or, as the Irish have it, of “slewthering.”

Peloton de chasse, m. (military), extra drill. Termed “hoxter” at the R. M. Academy.

Ça vaut tout de mÊme mieux qu’une heure de peloton de chasse.—G. Courteline.

Pelouet, m. (thieves’), wolf.

Pelure, f. (general), coat, or “benjamin.” A parallel expression in furbesche is “scorza,” coat, properly bark.

Et, en un tour de main, vous auront forcÉ d’essayer un habillement complet, du galurin (chapeau), aux ripatons (souliers), en passant par le culbutant, qui est le pantalon, et par la limace qui est la chemise. Puis aprÈs que vous leur aurez payÉ quinze francs une pelure (paletot), qu’elles vous faisaient cent cinquante.—P. Mahalin.

Pendante, f. (thieves’), earring; watch guard, or “slang.”

Pendu, m. (Saint-Cyr cadets’), instructor at the military school of Saint-Cyr; (popular) —— glacÉ, street lamp of olden times. (Drapers’) Pendu, piece of cloth stretched out and hung up.

Les piÈces de drap sont ÉtalÉes dans de vastes couloirs et suspendues dans toute leur longueur. Ce sont ces piÈces de drap que l’on nomme des pendus.—MacÉ, Mon Premier Crime.

Pendule, f. (popular), À plumes, a cock, or “rooster.” Remonter sa ——, to thrash one’s wife, “to quilt one’s tart.” (Thieves’) Faire le coup de la ——, to hold a man with his head down and shake him so that his money drops on the ground. English thieves term this “hoisting,” and hold it to be no robbery.

PÉniches, f. pl. (popular), shoes, or “trotter-cases.” See Ripatons.

PÉnitence, f. (gamesters’), Être en ——, to be unable to play through want of money.

Etre en pÉnitence À Monte-Carlo, ne pas jouer. Elles sont en pÉnitence pour la journÉe, la semaine ou la fin du mois, parcequ’elles ont perdu ce qu’elles avaient À jouer.—Revue Politique et LittÉraire.

PÉnitencier, m. (prisoners’), one who has been sentenced to be imprisoned in a house of correction.

Penne, f. (thieves’), key, or “screw,” “plume” being a false key.

Pente, f. (thieves’), pear. Probably from pendre. (Popular) Avoir une ——, to be the worse for liquor, or “screwed.” For synonyms see Pompette.

PÉpette, f. (popular), fifty-centime coin. Des pÉpettes, money.

Un retentissant succÈs À pÉpettes.—Trublot, Le Cri du Peuple.

PÉpin, m. (familiar), umbrella, “gingham, or mush.” (Popular) Avoir un —— pour une femme, to fancy a woman, “to be mashed on, or to cotton on” to a woman. DÉposer un ——, to ease oneself, “to go to the chapel of ease.” See Mouscailler. Avoir avalÉ un ——, to be pregnant, “to have a white swelling.”

PÉpitier, m. (literary), adventurer who seeks to make his fortune in business in the colonies. From pÉpite, nugget.

Percer (familiar), en —— d’un autre (d’un autre tonneau), to relate another story.

Perche, f. (popular), Être À la ——, to starve.

Perche À houblon, f. (military). Formerly, before the suppression of the regiments of lancers, a lance. Also very tall, thin man, “sky-scraper, or lamp-post.”

Percher (thieves’ and popular), to go to bed. Termed also “pagnotter, bÂcher.”

Perdre (popular), le goÛt du pain, to die, “to snuff it.” See Pipe. Faire —— le goÛt du pain, to kill. See Refroidir. Perdre ses bas, not to know what one is about through absence of mind or otherwise; —— son bÂton, to die, see Pipe. Perdre sa clef, to suffer from diarrhoea; —— un quart, to attend a friend’s funeral.

Perdrix hollandaise, f. (sportsmen’s), pigeon.

PÈre, m. (thieves’ and popular), caillou, wary man, or “chick-a-leary bloke,” not to be entrapped by gamblers. Petit —— noir de quatre ans, a wine tankard holding four litres. (Thieves’) Le —— la reniflette, or le —— des renifleurs, the prefect or head of the police. Petit —— noir, small wine tankard.

Bravo! s’ÉcriÈrent tous les bandits en empoignant les petits pÈres noirs. A la santÉ du birbe.—Vidocq.

Le —— coupe-toujours, the executioner. (Artists’) PÈre Éternel À trois francs la sÉance, a model who poses for holy subjects; (gay girls’) —— douillard, he who keeps a girl, who has “douille,” or money.

PÈre-Lachaise. See Contre-marque.

PÉrir (popular), se ——, to commit suicide.

J’avais l’intention de me pÉrir soit avec du poison, soit en me jetant À l’eau.—Canler.

PÉritoine, m. (popular) tu t’en ferais Éclater le ——, expressive of refusal, “don’t you wish you may get it?” or “yes, in a horn,” as the Americans say. See NÈfles.

PÉritorse, m. (students’), coat, or overcoat.

Perlot, m. (popular), tobacco, “baccy.” From perle.

Perlotte, f. (tailors’) button-hole.

Permanence, f. (gamesters’), a series of numbers which turn up in succession at roulette or trente et quarante.

Permission, f. (familiar), de dix heures, a kind of lady’s overcoat; bludgeon; sword-stick. (Military) Avoir une —— de vingt-quatre heures, to be on guard duty. La —— trempe, leave which is expected, but not much hoped for. Se faire signer une ——, to hand one a leaf of cigarette paper, and to obtain from him in return the tobacco wherewith to roll a cigarette.

Perpendiculaire, f. (thieves’ and cads’), watch-guard, or “slang.” Secouer la ——, to steal a watch-guard, “to claim a slang.”

PerpÈte, f. (thieves’), À ——, for life. Etre gerbÉ À ——, to be sentenced to transportation for life, to be booked for a “lifer.”

Perpignan, m. (coachmen’s), whip-handle. It appears that the best whip-handles come from Perpignan.

Perroquet, m. (familiar), glass of absinthe. Asphyxier, Étouffer, Étrangler, plumer, or tortiller un ——, to drink absinthe. Perroquet de savetier, blackbird. It is worthy of remark that blackbirds are great favourites with cobblers in all countries.

Perruche, f. (popular), glass of absinthe.

Perruque, adj. and f. (familiar), old-fashioned. (Popular) Faire en ——, to procure anything by fraud. Used especially by workmen in reference to any of their own tools procured at the expense of the master.

Perruquemar, m. (popular), hairdresser. From perruquier. Termed also “merlan.”

Perruquier, m. (military). Dache, —— des zouaves, an imaginary character. Allez donc raconter cela À Dache, tell that to the marines. (Popular) Perruquier de la crotte, shoeblack.

Persiennes, f. pl. (popular), spectacles, “barnacles, or gig-lamps.”

Persigner (thieves’), to break open; —— une lourde, to break open a door, “to strike a jigger;” —— un client, to cheat a man, “to stick a cove.”

Persil, m. (familiar and popular), the world of cocottes who frequent places of entertainment.

L’excentrique aventure d’un de ses membres, hÉros du “Persil” et de la “Gomme.”—A. Daudet.

Aller au ——, cueillir le ——, travailler dans le ——, faire son ——, to walk the street as a prostitute, or to be seeking for clients in public places.

La grande lorette qui a chevaux et voiture, et qui fait son persil autour du lac, au bois de Boulogne.—LÉo Taxil.

Ces dames du ——, prostitutes in general. Le jour du ——, day on which a public entertainment is patronised by cocottes.

C’est le grand jour du Cirque, jour du persil et du gratin; le jour des demoiselles qui se respectent et qui sont seules, du reste, À remplir cette fonction et des messieurs dont la boutonniÈre se fleurit d’un gardÉnia achetÉ un louis À la bouquetiÈre du cercle.—P. Mahalin, Mesdames de Coeur-Volant.

Persillard, m. (familiar and popular), Sodomite who lounges about.

Voici comment un douillard, celui qui cherche son persillard ou sa persilleuse, se reconnaÎt.... Le douillard porte une canne À bec recourbÉ. Il fait un lÉger attouchement de sa canne, ou de l’Épaule gauche À l’Épaule droite du persillard.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Persilleuse, f. and adj. (familiar and popular), street-walker, or “mot.” See Gadoue.

La fille persilleuse attend son michÉ À la gare.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Also a Sodomite.

La persilleuse est toujours cravatÉe (cravatÉ, voulais-je dire) À la colin; sa coiffure est une casquette dont la visiÈre de cuir verni tombe sur les yeux et sert en quelque sorte de voile; elle porte une redingote courte ou une veste boutonnÉe de maniÈre À dessiner fortement la taille qui dÉjÀ est maintenue dans un corset.—LÉo Taxil.

Personne, f. (familiar), la ——, my mistress, my “little girl,” or “tartlet.” (Popular) Aller oÙ le roi n’envoie ——, to go to the W. C., “to Mrs. Jones.” See Mouscailler.

Perte, f. (thieves’), À —— de vue, for life. Fagot À —— de vue, one sentenced to penal servitude for life, or “lifer.”

Pertuis, m. (popular), aux lÉgumes, the throat, or “gutter-lane.” Faire tour-mort et demi-clef sur le —— aux lÉgumes, to throttle one.

Pesciller, pesciguer (thieves’), to seize, to lay hold of, “to collar;” —— d’esbrouffe, to take by force.

Quel mal qu’il y aurait À lui pesciller d’esbrouffe tout ce qu’elle nous a esgarÉ, la vieille altriqueuse.—Vidocq. (What harm would there be in taking away from her by force all that she has swindled us out of, the old receiver?)

Se ——, to get angry, “to lose one’s hair, to lose one’s shirt.”

PÈse, or pÈze, m. (thieves’), collection of money made among thieves at large for the benefit of one who is locked up in jail, “break, or lead;” money, or “pieces.” See Quibus. Descendre, or fusiller son ——, to spend one’s money.

Pessigner (thieves’), to raise.

Es-tu sinve (simple!), tu seras roide gerbÉ À la passe (condamnÉ À mort). Ainsi, tu n’as pas d’autre lourde À pessigner (porte À soulever) pour pouvoir rester sur tes paturons (pieds), morfiler, te dessaler et goupiner encore (manger, boire, et voler).—Balzac.

Peste, f. (thieves’ and cads’), police officer, or “reeler.” See Pot-À-tabac.

Pet, m. (popular), À vingt ongles, baby. Abouler un —— À vingt ongles, to be in childbed, “in the straw.” Faire du ——, to kick up a row. Faire le ——, to fail in business, “to go to smash.” Glorieux comme un ——, insufferably conceited. Curieux comme un ——, extremely inquisitive. Il y a du ——! things look dangerous; there is a row. Il n’y a pas de ——, there’s nothing to be done there; all is quiet, “all serene.” (Thieves’) Il y a du ——! the police are on the look-out! Pet! a rogue’s warning cry when he hears footsteps or the police, “shoe-leather! Philip!” Termed also “chou!”

PÉtage, m. (thieves’), trial, “patter.”

PÉtarade, f. (thieves’), la ——, the hospital of La SalpÉtriÈre.

PÉtard, m. (artists’), sensational picture. The SalomÉ of Henri Regnault, his masterpiece, belongs to that class of paintings. Rater son ——, is said of an artist whose success in producing a sensation at the Exhibition has fallen short of his expectations. (Literary) PÉtard, sensational book which has a large sale.

Pourquoi ce qui n’avait pas rÉussi jusqu’alors a-t-il ÉtÉ, cette fois, un ÉvÉnement de librairie? ce qu’on appelle, en argot artistique, un pÉtard.—Gazette des Tribunaux, 1882.

Also a sensational play.

Si je fais du thÉÂtre, ce sera pour Être jouÉ, et, tout en le faisant comme je comprends qu’il doit Être,—l’image de la vie. Je ne casserai aucune vitre, ne lancerai aucun pÉtard.—Zola.

(Popular and thieves’) PÉtard, the behind. It has also the signification of sou.

J’aimerais mieux encore turbiner d’achar du matois À la sorgue pour affurer cinquante pÉtards par luisant que de goupiner.—Vidocq. (I had rather work hard from morning till night to get fifty sous a day than to steal.)

(Popular) PÉtard, a box on the ear, or “bang in the gills;” disturbance, noise, quarrel, scandal. Faire du ——, to create a disturbance, “to kick up a row.”

J’sais ben c’que vous m’dit’s: qu’il est tard,

Que j’baloche et que j’vagabonde.

Mais j’suis tranquill’, j’fais pas d’pÉtard,

Et j’crois qu’la rue est À tout l’monde.

Richepin.

Des pÉtards, haricot beans. Faire du ——, to make a fuss.

Inutile de faire tant de pÉtard ... l’homme de garde refuse de se lever, c’est trÈs bien, j’en rendrai compte au major.—G. Courteline.

PÉtarder (popular), to create a sensation; to cause scandal, or a disturbance, “to kick up a row.”

PÉtardier, m. (popular), one who causes scandal, or a disturbance.

PÉtÉe, f. (popular), se flanquer une fameuse ——, to have a regular “booze.” See Sculpter.

Pet-en-l’air, m. (popular), short jacket.

Contre l’habit lÉger et clair

La loutre a perdu la bataille.

Nous arborons le pet-en-l’air,

Et les femmes ne vont qu’en taille.

Richepin.

PÉter (thieves’), to make a complaint to the magistrates; (popular) —— dans la main À quelqu’un, to be unduly familiar with one; to fail in keeping one’s promise; —— dans le linge des autres, to wear borrowed clothes; —— dans la soie, to wear a silk dress; —— sur le mastic, to forsake work; to send one to the deuce. Faire —— la chÂtaigne, to make a woman of a maiden. Se faire —— la panne, to eat to excess, “to scorf.” S’en faire —— la sous-ventriÈre. See Faire. (Sailors’) PÉter son lof, to die. See Pipe. (Military) Tu t’en ferais —— le compotier, ironical expression of refusal.

Et pour porter mon sabre sous le bras, macache, c’est midi sonnÉ; tu t’en ferais pÉter l’compotier.—G. Courteline.

PÈte-sec, m. (popular), strict employer, who never trifles, and is not to be trifled with.

PÉteur, m. (thieves’), complainant; informer, “nose.”

PÉteux, m. (popular), breech. See Vasistas. (Thieves’) Etre ——, to feel remorse.

Petit, adj. (familiar and popular), bleu, rough wine, such as is retailed at the Paris wine-shops; (popular) —— homme noir, tankard of wine; —— noir, coffee; —— pÈre noir de quatre ans, tankard of wine holding four litres; —— pot, paramour. LingÈre À —— crochet (obsolete), female rag-picker.

Ma mÈre voyant qu’elle ne f’roit rien dans le mÉquier d’actrice publique pour le chant voulut entrer dans l’commerce et s’mit lingÈre À p’tit crochet.—Amusemens À la Grecque.

Petit salÉ, baby, “squeaker.” Termed also “gluant.”

Avec mes ronds (sous) te voilÀ fadÉ (muni, qui a reÇu sa part). Tu pourras te payer ton petit salÉ (enfant) de carton. Oui, rÉpondit-il, merci. Mais tout de mÊme j’aimerais mieux en piger un d’occase, À la foire d’empoigne. Ça serait plus mariolle (malin). Et avec la galette (argent) j’achÈterais À la daronne des oranges et du trÈfle À blaire (tabac À priser).—Richepin, Le PavÉ.

(Prostitutes’) Le ——, the behind. (Roughs’) Un ——, a cigarette end long enough to be smoked. (Thieves’) Du —— monde, lentils. Un —— faisan. See Bande Noire. Des petits pois, pimento, allspice. (Sodomites’) Petit JÉsus, a debased wretch, the abettor of another who obtains money from persons by threats of exposure.

Le chanteur est un homme jeune encore ... toutefois, seul, il ne peut “travailler;” il lui faut un compÈre, ... puis un jeune et beau garÇon qu’il appelle un petit JÉsus,” entiÈrement vendu À ses intÉrÊts, ayant perdu tout sentiment d’honnÊtetÉ, de pudeur.... Celui-ci doit servir d’appeau.—LÉo Taxil.

(Familiar) Bon —— camarade is said ironically of an ill-disposed malevolent colleague. (Prostitutes’) Petit JÉsus, lover or associate of a prostitute, “Sunday-man.” (Printers’) Aligner les petits soldats de plomb, to compose.

Quand on sait bien aligner les petits soldats de plomb, on vous colle devant une casse, et vous bourrez À quart de piÈces; un peu plus tard vous avez demi-piÈces et Ça vous mÈne À la fin de l’apprentissage.—From a Paris printers’ newspaper.

(Tailors’) Petits boeufs, apprentices.

Pourquoi des coupeurs, des culottiers, des giletiers ... des pompiers, des tartares (apprentis) nommÉs aussi petits-boeufs.—MacÉ, Mon Premier Crime.

Petit-bocson, m. (popular), church. Termed also rampante.

Petit-crevÉ, m. (familiar), dandy, or “masher.” For synonyms see Gommeux. A dandy in the seventeenth century went by the quaint appellation of “quand pour Philis.” In explanation M. GÉnin, in his RÉcrÉations Philologiques, says that all the fops of the period thought themselves bound to be able to sing a certain ditty which was then all the rage and began by the words, “Quand pour Philis.” Hence the expression. Tallemant des RÉaux, in his Historiettes, says of a certain Turcan:—

Scarron also mentions the expression:—

Petite, adj. (familiar), dame, an euphemism for “cocotte,” or “pretty horse-breaker.”

Il arrivera que les “petites dames,” bien conseillÉes par les “petits messieurs,” comprendront qu’elles ont infiniment plus d’avantages À nous poursuivre devant les juges—qu’À se faire suivre sur les boulevards.—Echo de Paris, Oct., 1886.

Petite main, girl apprenticed to a fleuriste.

Petit-hÔtel, m. (thieves’), police station. Faire une pose au ——, to be locked up in jail, “to be in quod.”

Petit-que, m. (printers’), semi-colon.

Il est ainsi nommÉ parceque le signe (;) remplaÇait autrefois le mot latin que dans les manuscrits et les premiers livres imprimÉs.—Boutmy.

Petits, adj. (familiar), messieurs, despicable young men who live at the expense of prostitutes—in fact, “pensioners” with an obscene prefix. (Rag-pickers’) Charger des —— produits, to work at rag-picking.

Petmuche, m. (thieves’ and cads’), a signal that people are approaching, “Philip! or shoe-leather!” AcrÉmuche, il y a une retentissante; y a du —— voilÀ le lonsguÉ. Look out, there’s a bell; someone is coming; here’s the master of the house.

PÉtoche, f. (popular), Être en ——, to follow close in the rear, at one’s heels.

PÉtouze, f. (old cant), pistole, old coin.

PÉtra, m. (popular), clumsy man, awkward lout.

PÉtrole, m. (popular), brandy, or “French cream.”

Des bouges oÙ se rassemble la racaille de l’Égout, oÙ les faces blÈmes sont souvent tatouÉes de pochons noirs, oÙ il coule parfois du sang dans les saladiers gluants de vin bleu, oÙ les pierreuses viennent se donner du coeur À l’ouvrage en avalant un verre de pÉtrole qui leur flanque un coup de fer rouge dans l’estomac.—Richepin, Le PavÉ.

Allumer son ——. See Allumer.

PÉtroleur, m. (familiar), opprobrious name given to the insurgents of 1870.

PÉtronille, f. (popular), dÉvisser la ——, to smash one’s head.

PÉtrouskin, m. (popular), idle fellow, or “bummer;” breech, or “Nancy,” see Vasistas; peasant, “clod.”

PÉtun, m. (obsolete), tobacco; snuff. From a Brazilian word.

PÉtuniÈre, f. (popular), snuff-box, “sneezer.”

Petzouille, m. (popular), the behind, or “Nancy.” See Vasistas.

Peuple, m. (popular), faire un ——, to be on the staff of supernumeraries at a theatre. Se foutre du ——, to act as if one cared for nobody’s opinion. Est-ce que vous vous foutez du ——? Do you mean to laugh at me?

Peuplier, m. (popular), large twist of tobacco.

PÉvouine, f. (sailors’), little girl, a wee lassie.

PÈze, m. (thieves’), money, or “pieces.” See PÈse.

Je voudrais bien que tous les chouettes zigues qui m’ont fait affurer du pÈze puissent en dire autant.—Vidocq. (I wish all the jolly fellows who made me earn some money could say as much.)

Phalanges, f. pl. (familiar), serrer les ——, to shake hands, “to tip one’s daddle.”

Pharamineux, adj. (familiar), astounding, marvellous, “stunning.”

Vous savez, Nana vient d’arriver ... oh! une entrÉe, mes enfants! quelque chose de pharamineux!—Zola.

Phare, m. (printers’), lamp. Properly lighthouse.

Pharmacope, m. (popular), apothecary, “pill-driver.”

Pharos, or pharaut, m. (old cant), governor of a town. Michel thinks the word comes from the Spanish faraute, head man.

Philantrope, m. (pedlars’), thief, “prig.” For synonyms see Grinche.

Philibert, m. (thieves’), thief, “prig;” swindler or sharper, “shark.” See Grinche.

Philippe, m. (popular), silver or gold coin. An allusion to the effigy of Louis Philippe.

On dit que tu as poissÉ nos philippes (filoutÉ nos piÈces d’or).—Balzac.

Philippine, f. (familiar and popular). When a person cracks an almond for another, should there be a double kernel, he who cries out first, “Bonjour, Philippine!” can exact a present from the other. The word seems to be a corruption of the German vielliebchen.

Philistin, m. (artists’), a man who belongs to a different set, an outsider, a bourgeois, a “Philistine.” The Slang Dictionary says: “Society is supposed to regard all outside its bounds as belonging to the Philistine world. Bohemians regard all cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality as Philistines;” (medical) medical man who, not being on the staff of an hospital, visits the establishment, generally prolonging his stay more than is pleasant or convenient for the members of the staff; (tailors’) journeyman tailor. In the English slang a Philistine is a policeman. The German students call all townspeople not of their body “Philister,” as English ones say “cads.” The departing student says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder: “Muss selber nun Philister sein!” i.e. “I must now Philistine be!”

Philosophe, m. (popular), poverty-stricken, or “quisby;” old or cheap shoe.

Plus d’une ci-devant beautÉ, aujourd’hui rÉduite À l’humble caraco de drap, À la jupe de molleton et aux sabots, si elle ne prÉfÈre les “philosophes” (souliers À quinze, vingt et vingt-cinq sols).—Vidocq.

Philosophe, rag-picker, or “bone-grubber.” Philosophes de neuf jours, shoes out at the sole. (Thieves’) Un ——, one of the light-fingered gentry, see Grinche; card-sharper who dispenses with the assistance of an accomplice.

Philosophie, f. (popular), poverty, neediness.

Photographier (popular), allez vous faire ——, go to the deuce, “go to pot.”

Pi, parler en ——, to add “pi” to each syllable of a word. Thus couteau becomes coupiteaupi.

Piaf, m. (thieves’), pride; boasting, “bouncing.”

Pianiste, m. (popular), executioner’s assistant. He is the accompanyist to the executioner, the principal performer.

Piano, m. (horse-dealers’), jouer du ——, is said of a horse which has a disunited trot. MaÎtresse de ——. See MaÎtresse.

Pianoter (familiar), to be a poor performer on the piano.

On ne devait pas pianoter pendant la nuit—Balzac.

Piau, m. (printers’), falsehood, “cram.” From la peau! nonsense! (thieves’) bed. Pincer le ——, to go to bed, to get into “kip.” See Pieu.

Piaulle, piole, or piolle, f. (thieves’), house, “crib, hangs-out, ken;” tavern. Same origin as picter. La —— a l’air rupin, there’s plenty to steal in that house.

Piausser (thieves’), to sleep, “to doss.” Se ——, to dress; to go to bed. See Pieu.

Ils sont allÉs se piausser (se coucher) chez BicÊtre.—Vidocq.

(Printers’) Piausser, to lie; to humbug.

Piausseur, m. (printers’), liar; humbug.

Picaillons, m. pl. (popular), money, “tin.” See Quibus. Avoir des ——, to be well off, or “well ballasted.” Picaillons is probably a corruption of picarons, Spanish coin.

Picanti, adj. (thieves’), gau ——, louse, “gold-backed ’un.” See Basourdir.

Piccolet, or picolo, m. (popular), thin wine. From picton, which itself comes from the Greek p?e??, through picter.

Le suave fromage À la pie ... et qu’ils mangeaient avec un chanteau de pain bis, avant de boire un gobelet de picolo, de ce vert petit reginglard qui leur piquait un cent d’Épingles dans la gorge.—Richepin, Le PavÉ.

Piche, m. (popular), for pique, spades of cards.

Pichenet, m. (popular), thin wine. See Picton.

Le pichenet et le vitriol l’engraissaient positivement.—Zola.

Pickpocketer (familiar), to pick pockets.

Picorage, m. (thieves’), highway robbery.

Picoure, f. (thieves’), hedge. DÉflotter, or dÉfleurir la ——, to steal linen laid out on a hedge to dry, “lully prigging.” A thief who steals linen is termed “snow-gatherer.” La —— est fleurie, there is linen on the hedge, “snowy on the ruffman.”

Picter (popular and thieves’), to drink, “to liquor up,” or, as the Americans say, “to smile, or to see the man.” From the Greek p?e??.

Laissez-le donc, nous le ferons picter À la refaite de sorgue.—Vidocq. (Leave him alone, we’ll make him drink at dinner.)

Picter des canons, to drink glasses of wine.

Allons —— un kil, let us go and drink a litre of wine. Picter du pivois sans lance, to drink wine without water. Picter une rouillarde, to drink a bottle of wine. La —— À la douce, to sit over a bottle of wine.

Picton, m. (popular and thieves’), wine. Termed also “picolo, nectar, ginglet, ginglard, pichenet, briolet, pivois, bleu, petit bleu, vinasse, blanc, huile,” &c. Picton sans lance, wine without water. Un coup de ——, a glass of wine.

Pictonner (popular), to drink heavily, “to swill.” See Rincer.

Pictonneur, m. (popular), drunkard, “lushington.” See Poivrot.

PiÈce, f. (military), de quatre, syringe; —— grasse, cook, or “dripping;” —— de sept, stout man, “forty guts;” (freemasons’) —— d’architecture, speech; (literary) —— de boeuf, gushing article on the topics of the day; (theatrical) —— de boeuf, a play in which one obtains the most success; —— À tiroirs, play with transformation scenes; —— d’ÉtÉ, bad play; (prostitutes’) —— d’estomac, lover, “Sunday man.” (Thieves’) Vol À la —— forcÉe. This kind of theft requires two confederates, one of whom tenders in payment of a purchase a marked coin. His friend then steps in, makes a purchase, and maintains he has paid for it with a coin of which he gives a description, and which of course is found in the till by the amazed tradesman. (Popular) Une —— du pape, or suisse, an ugly woman. La —— de dix sous, or de dix ronds, the anus. N’avoir plus sa —— de dix ronds, to be a Sodomite. Cracher des piÈces de dix sous, to be parched, dry.

Coupeau voyant le petit horloger cracher lÀ-bas des piÈces de dix sous, lui montra de loin une bouteille; et, l’autre ayant acceptÉ de la tÊte, il lui porta la bouteille et un verre.—Zola.

The English have the expression, “to spit sixpences,” to be thirsty.

He had thought it a rather dry discourse; and beginning to spit sixpences (as his saying was), he gave hints to M. Wildgoose to stop at the first public-house they should come to—Graves, Spiritual Quixote.

Pied, m. (popular), À dormir debout, large flat foot; —— de cochon, pistol, or “barking iron;” —— de nez, one sou; —— plat, a Jew, or “mouchey, Ikey, or sheney.” Mettre À ——, to dismiss, “to give the sack.” En avoir son ——, to have had enough of it. (Thieves’) Pied de biche, short crowbar, or “jemmy.” Termed also “Jacques, l’enfant, sucre de pomme, biribi.” Le ——, the ground; termed also “la dure;” share, or “whack.” Mon ——, ou je casse! my share, or I peach, or “my whack, or I blow the gaff.” (Military) Pied, or —— bleu, recruit, or “Johnny raw.”

Je t’en fiche; y prend un air digne, toise l’infirmier du haut en bas, et te l’engueule comme un pied.—G. Courteline.

Pied de banc, sergeant. There are just as many sergeants in a company as there are feet to a bench.

Les sous-officiers sont l’Âme de l’armÉe si les officiers en sont la tÊte ... les soldats le savent et le disent bien, et se rendant compte de l’utilitÉ de ces humbles subalternes, ils les appellent les pieds de banc. Enlevez un officier À la compagnie, nul ne s’apercevra du vide; Ôtez un sergent elle deviendra boiteuse.—Hector France, L’Homme qui Tue.

Pieds, m. pl. (popular), avoir mangÉ ses ——, to have an offensive breath. Se tirer des ——, to go away, to run away, “to hook it.” See Patatrot. OÙ mets-tu tes pieds? what are you meddling about? (Military) Avoir les —— de chÂlit, to be particular, careful. Avoir les —— nattÉs, to feel a disinclination for going out, or not to be able to go out. (Printers’) Pieds de mouche, notes in a book, generally printed in small type. (Thieves’) Avoir les —— attachÉs dans le dos, to be dogged by the police, “to get a roasting.” (Popular and thieves’) BÉnir des pieds, to be hanged, “to swing, to be scragged.” Termed formerly “to fetch a Tyburn stretch,” or “to preach at Tyburn Cross,” alluding to the penitential speeches made on such occasions. In olden times a hanged person was termed in France “ÉvÊque des champs,” alluding to the cap which was drawn over the face of the convict, and which represented the mitre, also to the convulsive movements of his legs. It was the custom to erect the gallows in the open country. Hence the expression, “ÉvÊque des champs qui donne la bÉnÉdiction avec les pieds.”

Pier (thieves’), old word, to drink. In English slang, “to liquor up,” and, as the Americans term the act, “to smile,” or “to see the man.” See Rincer.

Pierre, f. (popular), À affÛter, bread, or “soft tommy;” (freemasons’) —— brute, bread; (thieves’) —— de touche, confrontation of a malefactor with his victim or with witnesses.

Pierreau, m. (military), recruit, or “Johnny raw.” Also soldier who has been for one year in the corps.

Ils tranchaient les questions d’un mot, ... considÉraient du haut de leur importance les brigadiers qu’ils qualifiaient de bleus et de pierreaux, comme s’ils fussent arrivÉs de la veille.—G. Courteline.

Pierreuse, f. (popular), prostitute of the lowest class, who generally prowls near heaps of stones on the road, or in building yards, “draggle-tail.” See Gadoue. Concerning this class of prostitutes LÉo Taxil says: “Il est une classe absolument ignoble, qui est la lie des filles en carte: les pierreuses. On donne ce nom À un genre particulier de femmes qui ont vieilli dans l’exercice de la prostitution du plus bas Étage ... elles sortent la nuit ... elles stationnent auprÈs des chantiers ou À proximitÉ des terrains vagues.”

Pierrot, m. (popular), glass of white wine. Asphyxier un ——, to drink a glass of white wine. Pierrot, properly, is a pantomimic character with face painted white and dressed in white attire. (Hairdressers’) Pierrot, application of lather on the face; (military) recruit, or “Johnny raw.” Termed also “bleu.”

Les anciens commencÈrent par faire la sourde oreille, supportÈrent avec patience les quolibets et les piqÛres d’aiguille jusqu’au jour oÙ un “pierrot,” tout nouvellement arrivÉ ... reÇut une paire de calottes.—G. Courteline.

Also bad soldier who shirks his duty and incurs punishment.

De temps en temps, l’adjudant Flick, en cherchant ses deux “pierrots,” constatait leur disparition. Les deux pierrots ... s’Étaient donnÉ un peu d’air. Ces bordÉes duraient six journÉes, au bout desquelles ils revenaient fiers comme des paons, frisant la dÉsertion de cinq minutes.—G. Courteline.

Piesto, m. (popular), money, “the needful, gilt, or loaver.” See Quibus.

PiÈtre, m. (thieves’), rogue who plays the lame man so as to excite the commiseration of the public.

Pieu, m. (thieves’), crossbar; —— de la vanterne, crossbar of a window; (popular and thieves’) bed. From old word piautre, straw, rags. Hence the old peaultraille, canaille, ragamuffins. An instance of the insertion of the i is shown by pieu, a stake, from pau.

Spelt also pieux.

Se coller dans le ——, to go to bed, to get into the “kip.” Etre en route pour le ——, to feel sleepy. Etre rivÉ au ——, to be passionately attached to a woman.

PieutÉ, adj. (popular), Être ——, to be in bed.

Il rÉflÉchit, partage entre l’inquiÉtude de coucher le soir À la boÎte et le plaisir de rester “pieutÉ.”—G. Courteline, Les GaietÉs de l’Escadron.

Pieuvre, f. (familiar), kept woman. Properly octopus. See Gadoue.

Pieuvrisme, m. (familiar), prostitution; the world of prostitutes.

Pif, or pifre, m. (familiar and popular), nose, “handle, conk, or snorter.” See Morviau. The word “pifre” is used by Rabelais with the signification of fife. It is, therefore, not improbable that the nasal organ received the appellation on account of its being assimilated to that wind instrument, the more so as other parts of the body bear the names of musical instruments, as trompette, or musette, face; sifflet, throat; guitare, or guimbarde, head; grosse caisse, body; flÛtes, legs; mirliton, nose.

C’est pas pour ton ——, that’s not for you. (Thieves’) Etre dans le —— comme grinche, to be noted as a swindler. (Prostitutes’) Faire un —— d’ocas, to find a client, or “flat.”

J’ai fait que poiroter sous les lansquines en battant mon quart pour faire un pif d’ocas, qui me donne de quoi que mon marlou ne m’Éreinte pas de coups.—Louise Michel.

Piffard, m. (popular), the possessor of a nose remarkable on account of its large proportions or vermilion hue, like that of a drunkard, an “Admiral of the Red,” whose nasal organ bears “grog blossoms.”

Piffe, m. (thieves’), breech, or “blind cheek.” See Vasistas.

Piffer (popular), to be discontented, or to look disappointed, “down in the mouth.” Synonymous of “faire son nez.”

Pige, f. (thieves’), year, or “stretch;” hour; prison, or “stir.” See Motte. (Familiar) Faire la ——, to race. (Printers’) Pige, a certain number of lines to be composed in an hour. Prendre sa ——, to ascertain the length of a page or column.

Pigeon, m. (card-sharpers’). Elever des pigeons, to entice dupes into playing in order to fleece them of their money. (General) Pigeon, a gullible or soft person, a “pigeon.” The vagabonds and brigands of Spain also used the word in their “germania,” or robber’s language, “palomo,” ignorant, simple. In the sporting world “sharps and flats” are often called “rooks and pigeons” respectively—sometimes “spiders and flies.” When the “pigeon” has been done, he then is entitled to the appellation of “muggins.” Pigeon voyageur, a girl of indifferent character who travels up and down a line seeking for clients. (Cocottes’) Avoir son ——, to have found a client, to have a “flat.” (Theatrical) Pigeon, part payment of a fee due to an author by the manager of a theatre. (Familiar) Aile de ——, old-fashioned. An allusion to the headdress preserved by ÉmigrÉs on their return to France.

Pigeonner (familiar and popular), to dupe, or “to do.”

Dans celle-lÀ, ce n’est plus moi qui pige, c’est moi qui suis pigeonnÉ.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Pigeonnier, m. (familiar), the boudoir of a cocotte.

Piger (general), to detect; to take, “to collar;” to apprehend, “to nab.”

Eh! la Gribouille, comment que t’as ÉtÉ pigÉe, dit une vagabonde À une autre.—Louise Michel.

Piger, to understand, “to twig,” or, as the Americans say, “to catch on.”

Moi aussi ... mais piges-tu, pas de braise; ceux qu’ont du poignon dans les finettes peuvent dÉcaniller.—Louise Michel. (Oh, I also ... but do you understand, no money; those who have money in their pockets can go.)

Piger, to race; to compete.

Et je vous jure bien que dans cette foule de fillettes de magasin qui descendent en capeline, ... petites gueules fraÎches toussotant À la brume, toujours talonnÉes de quelque galant, aucune n’aurait pu piger avec elle.—A. Daudet.

Piger, to find.

Tiens, v’lÀ Casimir, c’est ta femme, cette colombe-lÀ? oÙ as-tu pigÉ ce canasson-lÀ, c’est bon pour le musÉum, mon cher.—Baumaine et Blondelet, Les Locutions Vicieuses.

Piger la vignette, to look attentively and with pleasure on some funny person or amusing scene, “to take it in.” Se faire ——, to allow oneself to be detected or apprehended; to allow oneself to be done, or “bested.” Piger, to catch, “to nab.”

Piget, or pipet, m. (thieves’), castle. The root of this word is pigeon, in the Low Latin pipio.

Pignard, m. (thieves’), breech, or “blind cheek.” See Vasistas.

Pignocher (popular). Means properly to pick one’s food. Se ——, to fight, “to slip into one another;” (artists’) to put too much finish in a work.

Pignouf, m. (general), one who behaves like a cad; coarse fellow; mean, paltry fellow.

J’ai vu que tu avais par moments ennuyÉ les critiques. Tu sais, il ne faut pas faire attention À eux, c’est des tas de pignoufs.—E. Monteil.

(Shoemakers’) Pignouf, apprentice, the master being denominated “pontife,” and a workman “gniaf.”

Pignoufle, m. (general), cad.

La faille rose braquant sa jumelle—“A qui en ont-ils ces pignoufles?”—P. Mahalin.

Pigoche, f., a game. Some coins being placed inside a circumference traced out on the ground, are to be knocked out of it by aiming with another coin.

The word has passed into the language.

Pile! (popular), exclamation uttered when one sees a person falling, or hears a smash of crockery or other article. Properly tails! at pitch and toss. Termed also d’autant! a favourite ejaculation of waiters.

Piler (popular), du poivre, to walk on the tips of one’s toes on account of blistered feet; to wait; to slander. Faire —— du poivre À quelqu’un, to throw one down repeatedly. Piler le bitume is said of a prostitute who walks the streets; (military) —— du poivre, to mark time; to be on sentry duty; to ride a hard trotting horse; —— du poivre À quelqu’un, to forsake one; to leave off keeping company with one.

Ah! pompon du diable! il y a longtemps que j’avais envie de lui piler du poivre.—C. Dubois de Gennes.

Piler le poivre, to be on sentry duty.

Pilier, m. (familiar), de cabaret, drunkard, or “mop.” See Poivrot. (Thieves’) Le ——, the master. Un —— de boutanche, a shopman. Un ——, the master of a brothel. Un —— de pacquelin, a commercial traveller.

Quel fichu temps! le pilier de pacquelin ne viendra pas.—Vidocq.

Le —— du creux, the master of the house, the “omee of the carsey.” From uomo della casa in lingua franca.

Pille, f. (thieves’), one thousand francs.

Pillois vain, m. (thieves’), village judge, a kind of “beak, or queer cuffin.”

Piloches, f. pl. (thieves’), teeth, “bones, or ivories.” Termed also “chocottes.” Montrer ses ——, “to flash one’s ivories.”

Piloirs, m. pl. (thieves’), fingers, “forks, stealers, or pickers.”

Pilon, m. (thieves’), finger or thumb; (popular) maimed beggar.

Pimpeloter (popular), se ——, to eat and drink of the best, to take care of number one in that respect.

Pimpions, m. pl. (thieves’), coin, “pieces.” See Quibus.

PinÇants, m. pl. (old cant), scissors. Termed also “fauchants, fauchettes.”

PinÇard, m. (cavalry), horseman who possesses strong thighs, and has, in consequence, a firm grip in the saddle. From pince, grip.

Pince, f. (thieves’), hand, or “duke.” (Horsemen’s) Pince, grip of the thighs. (Popular) Chaud de la ——, fond of women. La pince is the fork.

Puis, comme c’Était un chaud de la pince qui faisait des enfants À toutes les figurantes de l’OdÉon.—E. Monteil.

(Card-sharpers’) Pince, a box constructed on cheating principles, and used by sharpers at the game called consolation, a game played with dice.

Pinceau, m. (military), broom.

Allons ... nous sommes de corvÉe de quartier, il va falloir aller jouer du pinceau avant un quart d’heure.—Dubois de Gennes.

(Freemasons’) Pinceau, pen; (popular) hand, or foot, “daddle, or hoof.” DÉtacher un coup de —— dans la giberne, to kick one’s behind, “to toe one’s bum.” DÉtacher un coup de —— sur la frimousse, to give a box on the ear, “to give a bang in the mug, to fetch a wipe in the gills, or mug,” or, as the Americans term it, “to give a biff in the jaw.”

Pince-cul, m. (popular), low dancing-hall patronized by prostitutes and roughs. An allusion to the liberties which male dancers take with their partners.

Pince-dur, m. (military), adjutant. From pincer, to nab.

Pince-loque, m. (thieves’), needle.

Pincer (familiar and popular), le cancan, to dance the “cancan.” A kind of choregraphy which requires great agility, the toes of the female performers being more often on a level with the faces of their partners than on the floor. The cancan is in great favour at Bullier and kindred dancing-halls, its devotees being generally medical students and their female friends, the “Étudiantes;” also “horizontales” and their protectors, or “poissons;” —— au demi-cercle, to catch unawares, “to nab;” —— quelqu’un, to catch one, to take one red-handed. Se faire ——, to be detected; to be caught, to get “nabbed.” Pincer un coup de sirop, to be slightly the worse for liquor, or slightly “elevated.” See Pompette. En —— pour une femme, to be smitten with a fair one’s charms, “to be mashed on, sweet on, keen on, or to be spooney.” (Thieves’) Pincer, to steal, “to nick.” For synonyms see Grinchir.

Cartouche.—Qu’avez-vous pincÉ? Harpin.—Six piÈces de toile et quatre de mousseline.—Le Grand, Les Fourberies de Cartouche.

Pincer de la guitare, or de la harpe, to be locked up in jail, to be “in quod.” An allusion to the bars of the prison cell assimilated to the strings of a guitar.

Pince-sans-rire, m. (thieves’), police officer, “copper,” or “reeler.” See Pot-À-tabac.

Pincettes, f. pl. (popular), affÛter, or se tirer les ——, to decamp in a hurry, “to guy.” See Patatrot.

Pinchard, adj. (literary), vulgar, in bad taste, “jimmy.”

PindarÈs (thieves’), the gendarmes; city police, or rural police. PindarÈs! we wash our hands of it! an exclamation uttered by malefactors after committing some crime.

Pinet, or pino, m. (thieves’), farthing. Termed in English cant, “fadge.”

Pingouin, m. (popular), fool, or “flat;” good-for-nothing man. (Mountebanks’) Le ——, the public.

Vois-tu le pingouin comme il s’allume? ... Ça n’est rien, À la reprise je vas l’incendier.—E. Sue.

Pingouin maigre, small audience; —— gras, large audience.

Pingre, adj. (thieves’), poor, “quisby.”

Pioche, f. (freemasons’), fork; (popular) work, or “graft.” Se mettre À la ——, to set oneself to work. TÊte de ——, blockhead, “cabbage-head.” (Thieves’) Une ——, a pickpocket, or “finger-smith.”

Piocher (barristers’), les larmes, to prepare a pathetic oration with a view to exciting the commiseration of the jury, and enlisting their sympathy in favour of the accused. There is an old joke about a barrister who, having undertaken to defend a scoundrel accused of murdering his own father and mother, wound up his speech by beseeching the jury to be merciful unto his client, on the plea of his being a “poor orphan left alone and unprotected in this wicked world.” The celebrated and truthful author of a recent diatribe on the manners and customs of the French, reproduces the story, presenting it to his readers as a striking but “genuine” specimen of the forensic eloquence in favour with John Bull’s neighbours! (Thieves’) Piocher, to carry on the business of a pickpocket, “to be on the cross.” See Grinchir.

Piole, or piolle, f. (thieves’), house. The synonyms are, “cambuse, cassine, boÎte, niche, kasbah, barraque, creux, bahut, baite, case, taule, taudion,” and, in the English slang, “diggings, ken, hangs-out, chat, crib,” &c. Piole, lodging-house, or “dossing-ken.”

Veux-tu venir prendre de la morfe et piausser avec mÉziÈre en une des pioles que tu m’as rouscaillÉes?—Le Jargon de l’Argot. (Will you come eat and sleep with me in one of the cribs which you were talking about?)

Piole, tavern, or “lush-crib;” —— blindÉe, fortress; —— À machabÉes, cemetery; —— de lartonnier, baker’s shop, or “mungarly casa.” The English cant term is a corruption of the Lingua Franca phrase for an eating-house. Mangiare, to eat, in Italian.

Pioller (popular and thieves’), to pay frequent visits to the wine-shop; to get the worse for liquor, to get “cut, or canon.”

Piollier, m. (popular and thieves’), landlord of a drinking-shop, “the boss of a lush-crib.”

Pion, m. and adj. (familiar), un ——, an usher at a school, or “bum-brusher.” Properly a pawn; (thieves’) louse, “grey-back, or German duck.” The Slang Dictionary says: “These pretty little things are called by many names, among others by those of ‘grey-backs’ and ‘gold-backed ’uns,’ which are popular among those who have most interest in the matter.” Etre ——, to be drunk. From an old word pier, to drink. Villon in his Grand Testament, fifteenth century, has the word with the signification of toper, drunkard:—

Rabelais uses pion with the same signification:—

Pionce, f., or pionÇage, m. (popular), sleep, or “balmy.” Camarade de ——, bedfellow.

Il avait couchÉ dans un garno oÙ l’on est deux par paillasse. Son camarade de pionce Était un gros pÈre À mine rouge qui avait une tÊte comme un bonnet d’astrakan.—Richepin, Le PavÉ.

Pioncer (familiar and popular), to sleep. From piausser.

The synonyms are: “casser une canne, piquer un chien, piquer une romance, faire le lÉzard, faire son michaud, roupiller, se recueillir, compter des pauses, taper de l’oeil, mettre le chien au cran de repos.”

Pionceur, m. (familiar and popular), man who sleeps.

Pionne, f. (scholars’), governess at a school.

Piote, f. (cavalry), insulting term applied by a cavalry man to a foot-soldier.

Piou, or pioupiou, m. (familiar and popular), infantry soldier, the French “Tommy Atkins.”

Pipe, f. (familiar and popular), head, face. Casser sa ——, to die. The synonyms are: “dÉvisser, or dÉcoller son billard, graisser ses bottes, avaler sa langue, sa gaffe, sa cuiller, or ses baguettes, cracher son Âme, n’avoir plus mal aux dents, poser sa chique, claquer, saluer le public, recevoir son dÉcompte, ingurgiter son bilan, cracher ses embouchures, dÉposer ses bouts de manche, dÉteindre, donner son dernier bon À tirer, lÂcher la perche, Éteindre son gaz, Épointer son foret, Être expropriÉ, pÉter son lof, fumer ses terres, fermer son parapluie, perdre son bÂton, descendre la garde, passer l’arme À gauche, dÉfiler la parade, tourner de l’oeil, perdre le goÛt du pain, lÂcher la rampe, faire ses petits paquets, casser son crachoir, remercier son boulanger, canner, dÉvider À l’estorgue, baiser la camarde, camarder, fuir, casser son cÂble, son fouet; faire sa crevaison, dÉralinguer, virer de bord, dÉchirer son faux-col, dÉgeler, couper sa mÈche, piquer sa plaque, mettre la table pour les asticots, aller manger les pissenlits par la racine, laisser fuir son tonneau, calancher, laisser ses bottes quelque part, dÉchirer son habit, or son tablier, souffler sa veilleuse, pousser le boum du cygne, avoir son coke, rendre sa secousse,” and, in the English slang, “to snuff it, to lay down one’s knife and fork, to stick one’s spoon in the wall, to kick the bucket, to give in, give up, to go to Davy Jones, to peg out, to hop the twig, to slip one’s cable, to lose the number of one’s mess, to turn one’s toes up.” The latter is to be met with in Reade’s Cloister and Hearth:—

“Several arbalestriers turned their toes up, and I among them.” “Killed, Denys? Come now!” “Dead as mutton.”

PipÉ, adj. (thieves’), Être —— sur le tas, to be caught red-handed.

Pipelet, m. (general), doorkeeper. A character in EugÈne Sue’s Les MystÈres de Paris.

The Pipelet of EugÈne Sue was the victim of a ferocious practical joker, a painter, Cabrion by name, who made his life a burden to him. The doorkeepers have retaliated by calling “un Cabrion” a lodger who does not pay his rent.

Pipelette, f. (general), the wife of a concierge or doorkeeper. Termed also Madame Pipelet. See Pipelet.

Piper (familiar and popular), to smoke, or “to blow a cloud.”

Il me semble qu’on a pipÉ ici.—Gavarni.

(Thieves’) Piper, to catch.

Comprend-on aprÈs cela qu’un homme qui changeait si frÉquemment de nom ... ait ÉtÉ se loger ... sous le nom de Mahossier qui lui avait servi À piper sa victime?—Canler.

Piper un pÈgre, to apprehend a thief, “to smug a prig.” The different expressions signifying to apprehend or to imprison are: “poisser, grimer, coquer, enflacquer, enfourailler, mettre dedans, fourrer dedans, mettre À l’ombre, mettre au violon, boucler, grappiner, poser un gluau, empoigner, piger, emballer, gripper, empioler, encoffrer, encager, accrocher, ramasser, souffler, faire tomber malade, agrafer, mettre le grappin dessus, enchetiber, enfourner, coltiger, colletiner, poser le grappin, faire passer À la fabrication, fabriquer,” and, in the English slang, “to smug, to nab, to run in.”

Pipet, m. (thieves’), castle, mansion, “chat, or hangings-out.” See Piget.

Il arriva que je trimardais juste la lourde de ce pipet ... une cambrouze du pipet me mouchaillait et en avertit le rupin.—Le Jargon de l’Argot. (It happened that I was just going by the door of that mansion ... a servant girl of the mansion perceived me and warned the master.)

Pipo, or pipot, m., the Ecole Polytechnique; student at that school. This establishment is the great training school for government civil engineers, who are chosen, after a two years’ course, out of those who come first on the competitive list, and for officers of the engineers and artillery, the latter being sent for a three years’ course to the “Ecole d’application” at Fontainebleau, with the rank of sub-lieutenant.

Piquage, m. (military), de romance, sleep, “balmy;” snoring, or “driving one’s pigs to market.”

Les autres cavaliers ... continuaient, À poings fermÉs, le piquage de leur romance.—C. Dubois de Gennes.

(Popular) Faire un ——, to steal wine by boring a hole in a cask which is being conveyed in a van to its destination. Also to abstract wine or spirits from a cask by the insertion of a tube, or “sucking the monkey.” The English expression has also the meaning of drinking generally, and originally, according to Marryat, to drink rum out of cocoa-nuts, the milk having been poured out and the liquor substituted.

Piquante, f. (thieves’), pin.

Piquantine, f. (thieves’), flea. Called sometimes “F sharp,” bugs being the “B flats.”

PiquÉ, adj. (popular), pas —— des hannetons, good, or “bully;” excellent.

Pique-chien, m., doorkeeper at the Ecole Polytechnique. Literally slumberer. See Pipo.

Pique-en-terre, m. (popular and thieves’), fowl, “cackling cheat, or margery prater.”

Piquelard, m. (popular), pork-butcher, or “kiddier.”

Pique-poux, m. (popular), a tailor. Termed also pique-prunes, or pique-puces. Called among English operatives a “steel-bar driver, cabbage-contractor, or goose-persuader;” by the world, a “ninth part of a man;” and by the “fast” man, a “sufferer.” Termed also “snip,” from “snipes,” a pair of scissors, or from the snipping sound made by scissors in cutting up anything.

Piquer (students’), to do; —— l’ÉtrangÈre, to be absent or distraught, “to go moon-raking,” or “wool-gathering;” —— un laÏus, to make a speech; —— une muette, to remain silent, “to be mum.” J’ai piquÉ 17 À la colle, I obtained 17 marks at the examination. See Colle. Piquer le bÂton d’encouragement, to obtain 1 mark, the maximum being 20; —— une sÈche, to get no marks at all, or a “duck’s egg;” (familiar and popular) —— un chien, to sleep, “to have a dose of balmy;” —— un fard, or un soleil, to blush; —— un renard, to vomit, “to shoot the cat, to cast up accounts, or to cascade.” Rabelais termed the act “supergurgiter;” —— une victime, to dive from a great height with arms uplifted and body perfectly rigid; (sailors’) —— sa plaque, to sleep; to die. See Pipe. (Artists’) Piquer un cinabre, to blush; (popular) —— dans le tas, to choose.

Nous v’lÀ ... nous sont point pressÉes: piquez donc vite dans eul’ tas, au p’tit bonheur.—Trublot.

Piquer une romance, to sleep, “to have a dose of balmy;” to snore, “to drive one’s pigs to market.”

Et puisqu’ils pioncent tous comme des marmottes.... A ton tour, mon bon de piquer une romance.—C. Dubois de Gennes.

Se —— le tasseau, to get drunk, or “tight.” For synonyms see Sculpter. Piquer un chahut, to dance the cancan.

Revenant ensuite dans les environs de la Gare Saint-Lazare, dansant À Buliier, piquant un “chahut” À l’ElysÉe-Montmartre ou mÊme À la Boule-Noire, aux heures de dÈche.—Dubut De Laforest, Le Gaga.

Piquet, m. (popular), prayer-book. Also juge de paix, a kind of county court magistrate.

Piqueton, m. (popular), thin wine.

Et les verres se vidaient d’une lampÉe.... Il pleuvait du piqueton, quoi? un piqueton qui avait d’abord un goÛt de vieux tonneau.—Zola.

Piqueuse de trains, f. (popular), prostitute who prowls about railway stations. See Gadoue.

Pissat, m. (popular), d’Âne, brandy, or “French cream;” beer; —— de vache, sour or small beer, “swipes.”

Pisse-froid dans la canicule, m. (popular), man of an extremely phlegmatic disposition, who on all occasions remains “as cool as a cucumber.” Also “pisse-verglas.”

Pisse-huile, m. (schoolboys’), lamp-lighter.

Pissenlits, m. pl. (popular), arroser les ——, to void urine in the open air. Manger les —— par la racine, to be dead and buried.

Pisser (familiar and popular), À l’Anglaise, to give the slip, “to take French leave.” From the act of a man who, wishing to get rid of another, pretends to go to the “lavatory,” and disappears. Pisser au cul de quelqu’un, to entertain feelings of utter contempt for one; —— contre le soleil, to strive in vain, to make useless efforts; —— dans un violon, to waste one’s time in some fruitless attempt; —— des enfants, to beget a large number of children; —— des yeux, to weep, “to nap a bib;” —— sa cÔtelette, to be in child-bed, or “in the straw;” —— sur quelqu’un, to despise one. Faire —— des lames de rasoir en travers, to annoy one terribly, to “rile” one, or to “spur” him. Mener les poules ——, to leave off working under false pretences. Une histoire À faire —— un cheval de bois, astounding story hard to swallow, story told by one who can “spin a twister.” (Literary) Pisser de la copie, to be a facile writer, to write lengthy journalistic productions off-hand.

Pisse-trois-gouttes, m. (popular), one who frequently stops on the road in order to void urine, one who “lags;” —— dans quatre pots de chambre, slow man who does little work.

Pisseur de copie, m. (literary), facile writer, one who writes lengthy journalistic productions off-hand.

Pisseuse, f. (popular), little girl, little chit.

Pisse-verglas, m. (popular). See Pisse-froid.

Pissin de cheval, m. (popular), bad beer, “swipes, or belly-vengeance.”

Pissote, f. (popular), urinals. Faire une ——, to void urine, “to pump ship.”

Pistache, f. (familiar), mild stage of intoxication. Pincer sa ——, to be slightly the worse for liquor, “to be elevated.”

Pistaon, m. (Breton cant), money.

Piste, f. (military), suivez la ——, go on talking, proceed.

Pister (popular), is said of hotel touts who follow and generally bore travellers; (thieves’) to follow. La riflette me pistait mais je me suis fait une paire de mains courantes À la mode, the spy was following me, but I ran away.

Elle la piste, elle arrive essouflÉe au Bureau des moeurs pour prÉvenir la police.—Dr. Jeannel.

Pisteur, m. (familiar), an admirer of the fair sex, whose principal occupation is to follow women in the streets. Rigaud makes the following remarks: “Il ne faut pas confondre le pisteur avec le suiveur. Le suiveur est un fantaisiste qui opÈre À l’aventure. Il emboÎte le pas À toutes les femmes qui lui plaisent, ou, mieux, À toutes les jolies jambes. Parmi cent autres, il reconnaÎtra un mollet qu’il aura dÉjÀ chassÉ. Il va, vient, s’arrÊte, tourne, retourne, marche devant, derriÈre, croise, coupe l’objet de sa poursuite, qu’il perd souvent au dÉtour d’une rue. Plus mÉthodique, le pisteur surveille d’un trottoir À l’autre son gibier. Il suit À une distance respectueuse, pose devant les magasins, sous les fenÊtres, se cache derriÈre une porte, retient le numÉro de la maison, fait sentinelle et ne donne de la voix que lorsqu’il est sÛr du succÈs. Le pisteur est, ou un tout jeune homme timide, plein d’illusions, ou un homme mÛr, plein d’expÉrience. Le pisteur d’omnibus est un dÉsoeuvrÉ qui suit les femmes en omnibus, leur fait du pied, du genou, du coude, risque un bout de conversation, et n’a d’autre sÉrieuse opÉration que celle de se faire voiturer de la Bastille À la Madeleine et vice versa. Cet amateur du beau sexe est ordinairement un quinquagÉnaire dont le ventre a, depuis longtemps, tournÉ au majestueux. Il offre À tout hasard aux ouvriÈres le classique mobilier en acajou; les plus entreprenants vont jusqu’au palissandre. Les paroles s’envolent, et acajou et palissandre restent ... chez le marchand de meubles. Peut-Être est-ce un pisteur qui a trouvÉ le proverbe: promettre et tenir font deux.”

Pistole, f. (popular). Grande ——, ten-franc piece. Petite ——, fifty-centime coin.

Pistolet, m. (obsolete), de manoeuvres, stone.

Ils chassÈrent le sergent et tous ceux qui Étoient avec lui, À grands coups de pierres que ces palots nommoient des pistolets de manoeuvres.—L’Apothicaire empoisonnÉ.

(Familiar) Pistolet, a pint bottle of champagne, a pint of “boy, or fiz.” Un drÔle de ——, a queer “fish.” (Popular) Pistolet À la Saint-DÔme, small hook used by cigar-end finders to whisk up bits of cigars or cigarettes. Ous qu’est mon ——? expression of mock indignation.

Faites donc attention, jeune homme. Vous allez chiffonner ma robe, c’est du 60 francs le mÈtre Ça, mon petit! Que j’lui dis ... soixante francs le mÈtre, ous qu’est mon pistolet? Je ne donnerais pas cent sous de l’enveloppe avec la poupÉe qu’est d’dans.—Les Locutions Vicieuses.

Pistolet, in the fifteenth century, a dagger manufactured at Pistoie.

Pistolier, m. (prisoners’), prisoner who lives at the “pistole,” a separate cell allowed to a prisoner for a consideration.

Piston, m. (students’), assistant to a lecturer on chemistry or physics; (popular) man who is well recommended for a situation. In the slang of naval cadets, a busybody, a bore.

Pistonner (familiar and popular), quelqu’un, to give one who is seeking a post the support of one’s influence; to annoy, “to rile;” to guide one.

Ayant rencontrÉ un portefaix qu’il connaissait, il s’est fait “pistonner” par lui, suivant son expression, À travers la ville.—Le Voltaire, Nov., 1886.

Pitaine-crayon, m. (Ecole Polytechnique), orderly acting as servant at the drawing classes.

Pitancher (popular), to drink, “to liquor up.” Termed by the Americans, “to smile, to see the man;” —— de l’eau d’aff, to drink brandy.

Piton, m. (popular), nose, “handle, conk, boko, snorter, smeller.” See Morviau.

Un —— passÉ À l’encaustique, red nose, “copper nose,” or one with “grog blossoms,” such as is sported by an “Admiral of the Red.”

PÎtre du comme, m. (thieves’), commercial traveller. PÎtre, properly mountebank’s fool, or “Billy Barlow,” and figuratively a literary or political quack.

Pitroux, pÉtouze, m. (thieves’), gun, or “dag;” pistol, “barking iron,” or “barker.”

Pituiter (popular), to slander; to prattle, to gabble, “to clack, or to jaw.”

Pivase, m. (popular), nose of large dimensions, “conk.” See Morviau.

Pivaste, m. (thieves’), child, “kid, or kinchin.” Termed also “miou, loupiau, mÔme.”

Pive, or pivre, m. (popular), wine. Marchand de ——, landlord of a wine-shop. Rabelais called wine “purÉe septembrale,” or “eau beniste de cave,” as appears from the following:—

Maistre Janotus, tondu À la cÉsarine, vestu de son liripipion À l’antique, et bien antidotÉ l’estomach de cotignac de four et eau beniste de cave, se transporta au logis de Gargantua.—Gargantua.

Pivert, m. (thieves’), fine saw made out of a watch-spring, used by prisoners to file through the bars of a cell-window. An allusion to the sharp beak of the woodpecker.

Pivoiner (popular), to redden. From pivoine, peony.

Pivois, pive, or pie, m. (thieves’), wine. Charles Nodier says: “Un certain vin se dit ‘pivois’ À cause de la ressemblance de son raisin avec la pive, nom patois du fruit appelÉ improprement pomme de pin;” —— À quatre nerfs, small measure of wine costing four sous; —— citron, vinegar; —— vermoisÉ, red wine; —— savonnÉ, white wine.

Mais que ce soit le pÉtrole ou le pivois savonnÉ, dans le godet ou dans l’entonnoir À patte, toujours les buveurs ont soin de dire: À la vÔtre, patron!—Richepin.

The synonyms are the following: “picton, tortu, reginglard, picolo, bleu, petit bleu, ginglet, briolet, huile, sirop, jus d’Échalas.”

Pivot, m. (thieves’), pen.

Frangin et frangine.—Je pÉsigue le pivot pour vous bonnir que mÉzigue vient d’Être servi maron À la lÈgre de Canelle.—Vidocq. (Brother and sister.—I take the pen to tell you that I have just been caught in the act at the fair of Caen.)

(Military) Envoyer chercher le —— de conversion, to send one on a fool’s errand, something like sending one for “pigeon’s milk.” Envoyer chercher “la clef du champ de manoeuvre, le moule À guillemets, or le parapluie de l’escouade,” are kindred jokes perpetrated on unsophisticated recruits.

Pivoter (military), to work; to drill; to be on duty.

Tour À tour, c’Était le brigadier de semaine qui pivotait, les bleus qui en fichaient un coup.—G. Courteline.

Placarde, f. (thieves’), public square in a city, generally the one where executions take place. Before 1830 the death sentence was carried out at the Place de GrÈve, later on at the Place St. Jacques, and nowadays criminals are executed in front of the prison of La Roquette; —— au quart d’oeil, place of executions. La —— de vergne, the town public place.

Place d’armes, f. (popular), stomach, “bread-basket;” body, “apple-cart.”

Vous Êtes invitÉ À passer la soirÉe chez des bourgeois.... Vous entrez.... Au lieu de dire: bonjour, cher ami; madame est bien? Allons tant mieux! enchantÉ de vous voir en bonne santÉ, l’on dit carrÉment; bonjour, ma vieille branche, comment va la place d’armes? Et le bourgeois pour se mettre À la mode, rÉpond; merci! mon vieux, Ça boulotte, et ta soeur?—Les Locutions Vicieuses.

Placeur de lapins, m. (familiar), humbug who plays the moralist.

Desgenais n’est, malgrÉ ses malÉdictions À fracas, qu’un simple placeur de lapins.—L. Chapron, Le Gaulois.

It also means man who lives at the expense of others and introduces his friends to women of the demi-monde.

Plafond, m. (familiar and popular), head, skull, “nut.” Avoir une araignÉe dans le ——, to be “cracked,” “to have a slate off.” See Avoir.

—VoilÀ encore un de nos jolis “toquÉs,” disait l’un d’eux À demi-voix.

—Il a une belle “araignÉe dans le plafond,” murmurait un autre.—P. Audebrand.

Avoir des trychines dans le ——, same signification as above. Se dÉfoncer, or se faire sauter le ——, to blow one’s brains out. (Theatrical) Plafond d’air, long strips of painted canvas stretched across the upper part of the stage to represent the sky.

Plaider la ficelle (lawyers’), is said of a counsel who has recourse when pleading to some transparent ruse, such as diverting the attention from the point at issue by treating of questions irrelevant to the case.

Plamousse, f. (popular), box on the ear, “wipe in the gills.”

Plan, m. (familiar and popular), pawnbroker’s establishment, “lug chovey.” Mettre au ——, or en ——, to pawn, “to put up the spout.”

Le lendemain elle mit son chÂle “en plan” pour cinq francs—LÉo Taxil.

Etre en ——, to remain at a restaurant while a friend goes to fetch wherewith to defray the common expenses for a meal. Laisser en ——, to abandon, to leave one in the lurch. Laisser tout en ——, to leave or “chuck up” everything in hand. (Popular) Il y a ——, it is possible. (Military) Plan, arrest. Etre au ——, to be under arrest, “to be roosted.” (Thieves’) Plan, prison, “stir.” See Motte. Plan de couillÉ, remand. Etre mis au —— de couillÉ, to be imprisoned for another. Etre mis au ——, to be imprisoned, “to get the clinch.” Tomber au ——, to be apprehended, or “smugged.” See Piper. (Theatrical) Laisser en plan is said of the claque, or paid applauders, when they do not applaud an actor.

Vous ferez Madame B. (faire ici veut dire applaudir ou soigner) vous laisserez en plan Monsieur X. (cela signifie vous ne l’applaudirez pas).—Balzac.

Planche, f. (familiar and popular), woman the reverse of buxom, who is not “built that way;” (popular) —— À boudin, woman of indifferent character. Faire la ——, to be a prostitute, or “mot.” Faire sa ——, to give oneself airs. Sans ——, without any ceremonies, frankly. (Freemasons’) Planche À tracer, table; sheet of white paper; letter. (Thieves’) Planche, sword, or “poker;” —— À grimaces, altar; —— À sapement, police court; —— au chiquage, or À lavement, confessional; —— au pain, tribunal; bench occupied by prisoners in the dock. Etre mis sur la —— au pain, to be committed for trial, “to be fullied.”

On m’empoigne, on me met sur la planche au pain. J’ai une fiÈvre cÉrÉbrale.—Victor Hugo.

(Theatrical) Avoir des planches, to be an experienced actor. BrÛler les planches, to play with spirit.

Ce n’Était pas un mauvais acteur. Il avait de la chaleur, il brÛlait mÊme un peu les planches.—E. Monteil, Cornebois.

(Military) Une —— À pain, a tall lanky man. (Tailors’) Une ——, a “goose.” Avoir fait les planches, to have worked as a journeyman tailor.

PlanchÉ, adj. (thieves’), Être ——, to be convicted, “to be booked, or to be in for a vamp.”

Plancher (military), to be confined in the cells, or guard-room; (popular and thieves’) to be afraid; to laugh at; to joke.

Tu planches, mon homme.—Vidocq. (You are joking, my good fellow.)

Plancherie, f. (popular and thieves’), joke, “wheeze,” or practical joke.

Plancheur, m. (popular and thieves’), joker; practical joker.

Planque, f. (thieves’), en ——, on the watch.

J’allai en compagnie de H. au Passage du Cheval Rouge, et, le laissant en planque (en observation).—Canler.

Planque, place of concealment; police station. Le truc de la ——, the secret concerning a place of concealment.

Par une chouette sorgue, la rousse est aboulÉe À la taule ... un macaron avait mangÉ le morceau sur nouzailles et bonni le truc de la planque; tous les fanandels avaient ÉtÉ servis.—Vidocq. (One fine night the police came to the house ... a traitor had peached on us, and revealed the secret of the hiding place; all the comrades had been apprehended.)

Planque À corbeaux, priest’s seminary; —— À larbins, servants’ registering office; —— des gouÂpeurs, dÉpÔt of the PrÉfecture de Police; —— À plombes, clock; —— À sergots, police station; —— À suif, gaming-house, or “punting-shop;” —— À tortorer, eating-house, “grubbing-ken, or spinikin.” Etre en ——, to be locked up, or “put away.” See Piper.

Planquer (popular), to pawn, “to put in lug;” (thieves’) to imprison, “to smug.” See Piper. Planquer, to conceal.

A c’te plombe j’suis si bien planquÉe que je ne crains ni cognes, ni griviers, ni railles, ni quart d’oeil, ni gerbiers.—Vidocq. (I am now so well concealed that I fear no gendarmes, soldiers, detectives, police magistrate, or judges.)

Planquer le marmot, to conceal the booty, to put away the “swag.” It also means to place, to put in. Planquer les paccins dans un roulant, to put the parcels in a cab. (Printers’) Planquer des sortes, to put by, for one’s personal use, and with much inconvenience to fellow-compositors, some particular description of type required in large quantities for a common piece of composition.

Plantation, f. (theatrical), arrangement of scenic plant, such as furniture, &c.

J’avais dit de poser lÀ une chaise pour figurer la porte. Tous les jours, il faut recommencer la plantation.—Zola, Nana.

Planter (theatrical), refers to the effecting of all scenic arrangements; —— un acte, to settle all the scenic details of an act; —— un comparse, to give directions to a supernumerary as to his make-up, position on the stage, movements, &c.; (sailors’) —— le harpon, to express some idea, some proposal. (Popular) Planter, to make a sacrifice to Venus; —— son poireau, to be waiting for someone who is not making his appearance; —— le drapeau, to leave without paying one’s reckoning; not to pay a debt; (familiar) —— un chou, to deceive, “to bamboozle.” See Jobarder.

Plantes, f. pl. (popular), feet, “everlasting shoes.”

Eh! bien, vous Êtes de la jolie fripouille, cria-t-il, j’ai usÉ mes plantes pendant trois heures sur la route, mÊme qu’un gendarme m’a demandÉ mes papiers. Ah! non, vous savez, blague dans le coin, je la trouve raide.—Zola, L’Assommoir. (Well, he cried, you are nice un’s, you are; here I have been scraping the road with my everlasting shoes these three hours. None of that you know, and no kid, you come it rather too strong.)

Plaque, f. (popular), avoir sa —— d’Égout dÉfoncÉe, to be a Sodomite. (Military) Des plaques de garde-champÊtre, an old sergeant’s stripes.

Plaquer (popular), to put, to leave, to forsake; —— sa viande sous l’Édredon, to go to bed; —— son niÈre, to forsake one’s friend. Se ——, to fall flat; to put oneself; to have one’s wet clothes sticking to one’s body. Se —— dans la limonade, to jump into the water.

Plastronneur, m. (popular), swell, “gorger.” From the stiff plastron, or shirt-front, sported by dandies when in “full fig.” See Gommeux.

Plat, m. (popular), deux oeufs sur le ——, or deux oeufs, small breasts.

C’ment Ça! c’que vous m’f... lÀ, cap’taine! n’allez pas m’dire qu’une femme qui n’a qu’deux oeufs posÉs sur la place d’armes, peut avoir une fluxion vraisemblable À une personne avantagÉe comme la commandante?—Ch. Leroy, Ramollot.

Plat d’Épinards, painting, or “daub.” (Popular) Faire du ——, to create a disturbance; to make a noise, “to kick up a row.” Prendre un —— d’affiches, to have no breakfast in consequence of absence of means to pay for it. Literally to walk about with an empty stomach, reading the bills posted up, to while away the time. Plats À barbe, ears, “wattles, lugs, hearing cheats.”

Le nez s’appelle un “piton;” la bouche, un “four;” l’oreille un “plat À barbe;” les dents des “dominos,” et les yeux des “quinquets.”—Les Locutions Vicieuses.

(Restaurants’) Plat du jour, dish which is got ready specially for the day, and which consequently is generally the most palatable in the bill of fare.

Ce que le restaurateur appelle dans son argot un plat du jour, c’est-À-dire un plat humain, possible, semblable À la nourriture que les hommes mariÉs trouvent chez eux.—Th. de Banville, La CuisiniÈre PoÉtique.

(Military) Plat, gorget formerly worn by officers.

Platane, m. (familiar), feuille de ——, rank cigar, “cabbage-leaf.”

Plateau, m. (freemasons’), a dish.

Plato. See Filer.

PlÂtre, m. See Essuyer. (Printers’) PlÂtre, for emplÂtre, bad compositor. (Thieves’) PlÂtre, silver; silver coin. Possibly an allusion to the colour and shape of the face of a watch. Je viens de dÉgringolarer un bobinot en plÂtre, I have just stolen a silver watch. Etre au ——, to have money.

Platue, f. (thieves’), a kind of flat cake.

Plein, m. and adj. (popular), avoir son ——, to be intoxicated, “to be primed;” —— comme un oeuf, comme un sac, drunk, “drunk as Davy’s sow.” See Pompette. Gros —— de soupe, a stout, clumsy man.

Pleine, adj. (popular), lune, breech, or “Nancy.” See Vasistas. (Familiar) Faire une —— eau, to dive into a river or the sea from a boat, and swim about in deep water.

Plette, f. (thieves’), skin, “buff.”

Pleurant, m. (thieves’), onion. From pleurer, to weep. The allusion is obvious. Du cabot avec des pleurants, a mess of dogfish and onions.

Pleurer (popular), en filou, to pretend to weep, crocodile fashion. Faire —— son aveugle, to void urine, “to pump ship.”

Pleut (popular), il ——! ejaculation of refusal; silence! be careful! The expression is used by printers as a warning to be silent when the master or a stranger enters the workshop.

Pleuvoir (thieves’), des chÂsses, to weep, “to nap a bib.” Termed also “baver des clignots.” (Military) Pleuvoir, to void urine.

Pli, m. (familiar), avoir un —— dans sa rose, to have something that mars one’s joy or disturbs one’s happiness.

La MartiniÈre avait un “pli dans sa rose” comme il le disait lui-mÊme.—H. France, A Travers l’Espagne.

Pliant, m. (thieves’), knife, or “chive.” Termed also “vingt-deux, surin, or lingre.” Jouer du ——, to knife, “to chive.”

Plier (popular), ses chemises, to die. “to snuff it.” See Pipe. Plier son Éventail, to make signals to men in the orchestra stalls.

Plis, m. pl. (popular), des ——, derisive expression of refusal; might be rendered by, Don’t you wish you may get it? or by the Americanism, “Yes, in a horn!” See NÈfles.

Plomb, m. (restaurants’), entremets. Probably from plum pudding; (popular) venereal disease. Laver la tÊte avec du ——, to shoot one. Manger du ——, to be shot. Le ——, the throat, or “red lane;” the mouth. Termed also “l’avaloir, le bÉcot, la bavarde, la gargoine, la boÎte, l’Égout, la babouine, la cassolette, l’entonnoir, la gaffe, le mouloir, le gaviot.” In the English slang, “mug, potato-trap, rattler, kisser, maw-dubber, rattle-trap, potato-jaw, muns, bone-box.” Ferme ton ——, hold your tongue, “put a clapper to your mug, mum your dubber, or hold your jaw.”

—D’oÙ sort-elle donc celle-lÀ? Elle ferait bien mieux de clouer son bec.

—Celle-lÀ ... celle-lÀ vaut bien Madame de la Queue-Rousse. Ferme ton plomb toi-mÊme.—H. France, Le PÉchÉ de Soeur CunÉgonde.

Jeter dans le ——, to swallow.

Plombe, f. (thieves’), hour. An allusion to the weights of clocks, formerly “plomÉes.” Six plombes se dÉcrochent, it is six o’clock. Luysard estampillait six plombes, it was six o’clock by the sun.

VoilÀ six plombes et une mÈche qui crossent ... tu pionces encore.—Je crois bien, nous avons voulu maquiller À la sorgue chez un orphelin, mais le pantre Était chaud; j’ai vu le moment oÙ il faudrait jouer du vingt-deux et alors il y aurait eu du raisinet.—Vidocq. (It is half-past six ... sleeping yet?—I should think so; we wanted to do a night job at a goldsmith’s, but the cove was wide-awake. I was very near doing for him with my knife.)

Plomber (popular and thieves’), to emit a bad smell. From plomb, sink.

Plomber de la gargoine, to have an offensive breath. Plomber, to strike the hour. La guimbarde ne plombe pas, the clock does not strike the hour. Etre plombÉ, to be drunk, or “lumpy,” see Pompette; to suffer from a venereal disease.

Plombes, f. pl. (thieves’), money, “pieces.” See Quibus.

De vieux marmiteux de la haute lui ont offert de l’Épouser. Mais ils n’avaient que le titre (elle veut, dit-elle, le titre avec les plombes).—Louise Michel.

Plonger (thieves’), les pognes dans la profonde, or fabriquer un poivrot, to pick the pockets of a drunken man who has come to grief on a bench.

Plongeur, m. (thieves’), poverty-stricken man, or “quisby;” tatterdemalion; (popular) scullery man at a cafÉ or restaurant.

Plotte, f. (thieves’), purse, “skin, or poge.” Termed, in old English cant, “bounge.” Faire une ——, “to fake a skin.”

Plouse, f. (thieves’), straw, “strommel.”

Ployant, or ployÉ, m. (thieves’), pocket-book, “dee,” or “dummy.”

J’Étais avec lui À la dinÉe au tapis, lorsque les cognes sont venus lui demander ses escraches et j’ai remarquÉ que son ployant Était plein de tailbins d’altÈque.—Vidocq. (I was with him at dinner in the inn when the gendarmes came to ask him for his passport, and I noticed that his pocket-book was full of bank-notes.)

Pluc, m. (thieves’), booty, “regulars,” or “swag.”

Plumade, f. (obsolete), straw mattress.

Plumard, m. (popular), bed, “doss,” or “bug-walk.” Termed also “panier, pagne, pucier.”

Plumarder (military), se ——, to go to bed.

Plume, f. (thieves’), false key; a short crowbar which generally takes to pieces for the convenience of housebreakers. Termed also, “Jacques, sucre de pommes, l’enfant, biribi, rigolo.” Denominated by English housebreakers, “the stick, Jemmy, or James.” Passer À la ——, to be ill-treated by the police. Plume de Beauce (obsolete), straw, or “strommel.”

Quand on couche sur la plume de la Beauce (la paille), des rideaux, c’est du luxe.—Vidocq.

Piausser sur la —— de Beauce, to sleep in the straw. (Popular) Plumes, hair, or “thatch.” Termed also “tifs, douilles, douillards.” Se faire des plumes, or paumer ses plumes, to feel dull, to have the “blues.” (Familiar) Ecrire ses mÉmoires avec une —— de quinze pieds was said formerly of galley slaves. An allusion to the long oar which such convicts had to ply on board the old galleys. (Military) Plume! an ejaculation to denote that the soldier referred to will spend the night at the guard-room or in prison. An ironical allusion to the expression “coucher dans la plume,” to sleep in a featherbed, and to the hard planks which are to form the culprit’s couch. (Journalists’) Gen de ——, literary man. The term is used disparagingly.

C’est comme Ça! continue le gen de plume. X... a osÉ m’envoyer son ouvrage en vers ... oh! la! la! quelle guitare!—Louise Michel.

Plumeau, m. (popular), va donc vieux ——! get along, you old fool, or “doddering old sheep’s head.”

Plumepatte, m., synonymous of Dache (which see).

Plumer (thieves’), le pantre, or faire la grÈce, is said of rogues who, having formed an acquaintance with travellers whom they fall in with in the vicinity of railway stations, take them to a neighbouring cafÉ and induce them to play at some swindling game, with the result that the pigeon’s money changes hands. (Popular) Plumer, to sleep. Se ——, to go to bed.

Plumet, m. (familiar and popular), avoir son ——, to be drunk, or “tight.” Termed also “avoir son petit jeune homme, Être paf, s’Être piquÉ le nez.” For other synonyms see Pompette. One day, in 1853, Alfred de Musset, who then had become a confirmed tippler of absinthe, called on M. Empis, the manager of the ThÉÂtre FranÇais, and asked one of the officials of the theatre to introduce him into his presence. The official entered the directorial office, says Philibert Audebrand, when the following dialogue took place:—

—Monsieur le directeur ...

—Quoi? qu’y a-t-il?

—Eh bien, c’est M. Alfred de Musset.

—Mais, monsieur le directeur....

—Quoi donc?

—C’est qu’il a son “petit jeune homme.”

—Qu’est-ce que Ça fait, Lachaume? Faites entrer M. Alfred de Musset avec son petit jeune homme.

Le plus piquant de l’histoire, c’est que M. Empis ne savait pas ce que voulaient dire ces mots: “avoir son petit jeune homme.”

The expression led to the following conversation between two savants:—

Un Grammairien. Eh bien, “avoir son petit jeune homme,” qu’est-ce que Ça veut dire?

Un Philologue. C’est “avoir son plumet.”

Le Grammairien. Bon! me voilÀ bien avancÉ! Qu’est-ce qu’avoir son plumet?

Le Philologue. Monsieur, c’est “Être paf.”

Le Grammairien. De mieux en mieux. Qu’est-ce donc qu’ “Être paf”?

Le Philologue. Selon le dictionnaire de la langue verte, le mot se dit de ceux qui “se piquent le nez.”

Le Grammairien. Je ne comprends toujours pas.

Le Philologue. Eh bien, traduisez: ceux qui se saoulent.

Le Grammairien. Pour le coup, j’y suis!

Faux ——, wig, “flash, or periwinkle.”

Plumeuse, f. (popular), woman who draws so largely on a man’s purse as not to leave him a sou.

Plus (popular), n’avoir —— de fil sur la bobine, —— de crin sur la brosse, —— de gazon sur le prÉ, —— de paillasson À la porte, to be bald, “to be stag-faced, to have a bladder of lard,” &c. See Avoir. (Familiar and popular) Ne —— pouvoir passer sous la Porte Saint-Denis. See Passer. Plus que Ça de chic! how elegant! —— que Ça de toupet! what “cheek!” N’avoir —— de mousse sur le caillou, to be bald. See Avoir.

Plus de mousse sur le caillou, quatre cheveux frisant À plat dans le cou, si bien qu’elle Était toujours tentÉe de lui demander l’adresse du merlan qui lui faisait la raie.—Zola.

C’est —— fort que de jouer au bouchon, words meant to express the speaker’s astonishment or indignation, “it is coming it rather too strong.”

Moi? exclama le fourrier stupÉfait, j’aurai huit jours de salle de police? Eh ben, vrai, c’est plus fort que de jouer au bouchon!—G. Courteline.

Plus souvent (familiar and popular), certainly not; never.

C’est moi qui me chargerai de toi.—Plus souvent, va! c’est encore toi qui sera bien aise de revenir manger mon pain.—E. Monteil.

Pocharder (general), se ——, to get drunk, “to get screwed.” See Sculpter.

Pocharderie, f. (general), drunkenness.

Pochards. Signe de la croix des ——. See MÉnilmuche.

Poche, adj. and subst. (popular), Être ——, to be drunk, to be “screwed.” See Pompette. (Thieves’) Une ——, a spoon, or “feeder.” Termed by Rabelais “happesoupe.”

Poche-oeil, m. (popular), blow in the eye. Donner un ——, to give a black eye, “to put one’s eyes in half-mourning.”

Pocher (printers’), better explained by quotation.

Prendre trop d’encre avec le rouleau et la mettre sur la forme sans l’avoir bien distribuÉe.—Boutmy.

PochetÉ, m. (popular), dunce, or “flat.” Used sometimes as a friendly appellation.

PochetÉe, f. (popular), en avoir une ——, to be dull-witted.

Pochonner (popular), to give one a couple of black eyes, “to put one’s eyes in mourning.”

PoÈle À chÂtaignes, f. (popular), pock-marked face, “cribbage-face.”

PoÉtraillon, m. (familiar), poet who writes lame verses.

Pogne, f. (thieves’), thief, “prig,” see Grinche; hand, or “duke.” Plonger les pognes dans la profonde, or dans la valade, to pick a pocket, “to fake a cly.” See Grinchir.

Pogne-main (popular), À ——, heavily, roughly.

Pognon, or poignon, m. (popular), money, or “dimmock.” For synonyms see Quibus.

Poignard, m. (tailors’), the act of touching up some article of clothing.

Poigne, f. (popular), hand, “daddle.”

J’ai la poigne solide ... je vous Étrangle.—E. Lemoine.

Donne-moi ta ——, “tip us your daddle.” Ergot de la ——, fingernail. Avoir de la ——, to be strong; energetic.

PoignÉe, f. (popular), foutre une —— de viande par la figure À quelqu’un, to box one’s ears, “to warm the wax of one’s ears.”

Poigneux, adj. (popular), strong, vigorous, “spry.”

Poignon, m. (popular), money, “tin.”

Dis donc, l’enflÉ, si t’as du poignon, remuche-moi la mÔme. Elle est rien gironde.—Richepin.

Poil, m. (popular), avoir un —— dans la main, to be lazy; to feel disinclined for work, or “Mondayish.”

Gervaise s’amusa À suivre trois ouvriers, ... qui se retournaient tous les dix pas ... ah! bien! murmura-t-elle, en voilÀ trois qui ont un fameux poil dans la main.—Zola, L’Assommoir.

Avoir du —— au cul, to have courage, “spunk.” Faire le ——, to surpass. Flanquer un ——, to reprimand, to give a “wigging.” Tomber sur le ——, to thrash, “to wallop.” See Voie. Un bougre À poils, a sturdy fellow, a “game” one. (Sailors’) Un cachalot bon ——, a good sailor. Un terrien À trois poils, a swell landsman. (Picture dealers’) Cuir et poils, at a high price.

Il vend son Corot trÈs cher, “cuir et poils,” comme on dit dans ce joli commerce; et c’est son droit; car ta valeur d’un objet d’art est facultative.—A. Daudet.

(Familiar and popular) Prendre du —— de la bÊte, to take a “modest quencher” on the morning following a debauch, “to take a hair of the dog.” When a man has tried too many “hairs of the dog that bit him,” he is said to be “stale drunk.” If this state of things is too long continued, it is often called, “same old drunk,” from a well-known nigger story. The nigger was cautioned by his master for being too often drunk within a given period, when the “cullud pusson” replied, “Same old drunk, massa, same old drunk.” (Students’) Le faste en ——, the garden of the Palace of Luxembourg, by synonyms on the words luxe en bourre. Faire son petit ourson au faste en ——, to stroll in the Luxembourg garden.

Poins (Breton cant), theft.

Poinsa (Breton cant), to steal.

Poinser (Breton cant), thief.

Point, m. (popular), one franc; —— de cÔtÉ, a nuisance. Properly a stitch in the side; creditor, or “dun;” police-officer whose functions are to watch prostitutes. (Ecole Polytechnique) Point gamma, yearly examination. See Pipo. Jusqu’au —— M, up to a certain point; in a certain degree. Le —— Q, breech. Tangente au —— Q, sword.

Pointe, f. (familiar), avoir sa ——, to be slightly in drink, or “elevated.” See Pompette.

Pointeau, m. (popular), clerk who keeps a record of the working hours in manufactories.

Pointer (popular), to thrash, “to give a walloping.” See Voie.

Si ta DÉdÈle est gironde, faut la gober, si elle est rosse, faut la pointer ferme.—Le Cri du Peuple, Feb., 1886. (If your little woman is a nice one you must love her, if she is a shrew you must thrash her well.)

Pointu, m. (popular), or bouillon ——, clyster; bishop. (Military) Un —— carrÉ, a slow fellow, “stick in the mud.”

Eh bien! et les “bleus,” ils ne descendent pas? Ils n’ont donc pas entendu sonner le demi-appel, ces “pointus-carrÉs!” Tas de carapatas, va!—C. Dubois de Gennes.

Pointue, f. (thieves’), the PrÉfecture de Police. BallonnÉ À la ——, imprisoned in the lock-up of the PrÉfecture.

Poire, f. (cads’ and thieves’), head, or “tibby.” See Tronche. Tambouriner la —— À quelqu’un, to slap one’s face, “to fetch one a wipe in the mug,” or “to give a biff in the jaw” (Americanism). (Familiar and popular) Faire sa ——, to give oneself airs; to have an air of self-conceit, to look “gumptious.” Synonymous of “faire sa tÊte,” and, in the elegant language of cads, “faire sa merde.”

Poireau, m. (popular). Properly leek. Faire le ——, to be kept waiting at an appointed time or place, “to cool, or to kick one’s heels.” Surtout ne me fais pas faire le ——, mind you don’t “stick me up.”

Il est comme les poireaux, he is ever young and “spry.” The expression is old.

Tu me reproches mon poil grisonnant et ne consydere point comment il est de la nature des pourreaux esquels nous voyons la teste blanche et la queue verte, droicte et vigoureuse.—Rabelais.

(Familiar and popular) Un ——, a rogue who extorts money from Sodomites under threats of disclosures.

Par malheur le poireau, le chanteur, connaÎt aussi ce signe de reconnaissance. Si ces deux antiphysiques ont derriÈre eux cette araignÉe, toujours prÊte À tendre sa toile pour les surprendre c’en est fait du douillard.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Poireauter (popular), to wait a long while at an appointed place, “to cool, or to kick one’s heels.” Fielding uses the latter expression in his Amelia:—

In this parlour Amelia cooled her heels, as the phrase is, near a quarter of an hour.

Poirette, f. (thieves’), face, or “mug.” Laver la ——, to kiss.

Poirier, m. (dancing halls’), a variety of pas seul included in the cancan, a rather questionable sort of choregraphy.

L’orchestre joue et l’on rÉpÈte le “canard qui barbote,” la “tulipe orageuse,” le “poirier” avec un ensemble parfait.—Gil Blas, Janvier, 1887.

PoirotÉ, m. (police and thieves’), rogue who is being watched by the police.

Poiroter (police and thieves’), to watch, “to give a roasting,” or “to dick.”

Pois, f. pl. (popular), coucher dans le lit aux —— verts, to sleep in the fields.

Poison, f. (familiar and popular). insulting epithet applied to a woman.

Poisse, f. (popular and thieves’), thief, “prig.” For synonyms see Grinche.

VoilÀ comment on devient grinche, l’homme pauvre devient gouÊpeur, on l’envoie À la LorcefÉ, il en sort poisse.—Vidocq. (That is how one takes to thieving; a poor man becomes a vagrant, he is sent to La Force, when he leaves he is a thief.)

Une —— À la dÉtourne, a shoplifter, or “sneaksman,” termed formerly “buttock-and-file.” “Robbing a shop by pairs is termed ‘palming’—one thief bargaining with apparent intent to purchase,” says the Slang Dictionary, “whilst the other watches his opportunity to steal. The following anecdote will give an idea of their modus operandi. A man once entered a ‘ready-made’ boot and shoe shop, and desired to be shown a pair of boots, his companion staying outside and amusing himself by looking in at the window. The one who required to be fresh shod was apparently of a humble and deferential turn, for he placed his hat on the floor directly he stepped into the shop. Boot after boot was tried on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up the customer’s hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, ‘Go it, you’ll catch him?’ little thinking that it was a concerted trick, and that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return.” Detectives occasionally learn something from thieves, as appears from the stratagem resorted to by a French member of the SÛretÉ some time ago, who, himself a small man, and having a warrant for the arrest of an herculean and desperate scoundrel, proceeded as follows. He dogged his man, who pretended to hawk chains and watches, and, watching his opportunity, when the man had laid down his merchandise on the table of a wine-shop, he suddenly caught up one of the articles, and made off in the direction of the police station, followed thither by his quarry in hot pursuit, and crying out, “Stop thief!” Needless to say that the result was quite the reverse of that anticipated by the burly malefactor. (Dandies’) La ——, the world of cads, of “rank outsiders.”

PoissÉ, adj. (thieves’), stolen; caught. Au bout d’un an —— avec une pesÉe de gigot que j’allais fourguer. After one year nabbed with some leg of mutton which I was taking away to sell.

Poisser (popular and thieves’), to catch; to steal, “to cop, to clift, or to claim;” —— les philippes, or l’auber, to steal money. See Grinchir.

Se ——, to get drunk. See Sculpter. Se faire —— la gerce, to be guilty of unnatural offences.

Poisseur, m. (popular and thieves’), thief, or “prig.” See Grinche.

Poisseuse, f. (familiar), dressy, stylish woman, a “blooming tart.”

Poisseux, m. (familiar), dandy, or “masher.” For list of synonyms see Gommeux.

Les petits jeunes gens, les poisseux, les boudinÉs ... Étaient À leur poste.—A. Sirven, Au Pays des Roublards.

Dandies used to apply the epithet to a cad, a “rank outsider.”

Poisson, m. (familiar and popular), one who lives on the earnings of a prostitute, whom he terms “sa marmite,” as providing him with his daily bread.

Seulement ... tout souteneur qui ne venge pas sa largue est considÉrÉ comme un fainÉant. Il est condamnÉ par la bande des poissons.—MÉmoires de Monsieur Claude.

Bullies frequent all parts of Paris, but principally the outer Boulevards and Quartier Montmartre. Those of the lower sort are recognizable by their vigorous appearance, kiss-curls, tight light-coloured trousers, and tall silk cap. These degraded creatures, who are the bane of the outer quarters, readily turn murderers when “business” is slack. LÉo Taxil says: “Every day the newspapers are full of the exploits of these wretches, who ply the knife as jugglers do their balls. The police are powerless against them.” In a curious pamphlet, written in 1830, as a protest of the Paris bullies against a police order, forbidding prostitutes from plying their trade in public places, we have a marlou’s portrait painted by himself:—

Un marlou, monsieur le PrÉfet, c’est un beau jeune homme, fort, solide, sachant tirer la savate, se mettant fort bien, dansant le chahut et le cancan avec ÉlÉgance, aimable auprÈs des filles dÉvouÉes au culte de VÉnus, les soutenant dans les dangers Éminents (sic), sachant les faire respecter et les forcer À se conduire avec dÉcence ... vous voyez bien qu’un marlou est un Être moral, utile À la sociÉtÉ.—Le beau ThÉodore Cancan.

The synonyms of “poisson” are the following: “Alphonse, baigne-dans-le-beurre, barbise, barbe, barbillon, barbeau, marlou, benoÎt, brochet, dos, dos vert, casquette À trois ponts, chevalier du bidet, chevalier de la guiche, chiqueur de blanc, bouffeur de blanc, costel, cravate verte, guiche, dessous, ÉcaillÉ, fish, foulard rouge, gentilhomme sous-marin, ambassadeur, gonce À Écailles, goujon, lacromuche, retrousseur, dos d’azur, dauphin, macchoux, machabÉe, macque, macquet, macrottin, maq, maquereau, poisson frayeur, releveur de fumeuse, maquignon À bidoche, mangeur de blanc, tÊte de patÈre, marloupatte, marloupin, marlousier, marquant, mec, mec de la guiche, monsieur À nageoires, monsieur À rouflaquettes, nÉg en viande chaude, patentÉ, porte-nageoires, roi de la mer, rouflaquette, roule-en-cul, soixante-six, un qui va aux Épinards, valet de coeur, visqueux, bibi, and formerly bras de fer.” The English slang has “Sunday-man, petticoat pensioner, pensioner with an obscene prefix, ponce, prosser,” &c. (Popular) Poisson, large glass of brandy.

Poitou, m. (thieves’), the public. Epargner le ——, to take one’s precautions. Poitou, or poiton, no; nothing. As-tu vingt ronds? Du poiton. Have you a franc? No.

Poitrinaire, f. (popular), woman with opulent breasts. Properly consumptive person.

Poitrine, f. (military), d’acier, cuirassier; —— de velours, officer of the engineers, or “sapper.” An allusion to the velvet front of his tunic. (Popular) Du casse ——, brandy. Un casse ——. The celebrated physician Tardieu, in his Etude MÉdico-LÉgale sur les Attentats aux Moeurs, says: “Qui manu stupro dediti sunt, casse-poitrine appellantur.”

Poitriner (players’), to hold cards close to one so as to conceal one’s game.

Poivrade, f. (popular), syphilis, or other kind of venereal disease, one of which the English slang terms “French gout, or ladies’ fever.”

Poivre, m. and adj. (thieves’), poison. Flasquer du —— À la rousse, to keep out of the way of the police, to be in “lavender.” (Popular and thieves’) Poivre, brandy; glass of brandy.

De la biÈre, deux poivres ou un saladier?—P. Mahalin.

Se flanquer une culotte de ——, to get intoxicated on brandy. Chier du ——, to abscond. Une mine À ——, a shop where alcoholic liquors are retailed, a kind of low “gin palace.”

Comment, une bride de son espÈce se permettait de mauvaises maniÈres.... Tous les marchands de coco faisaient l’oeil! Il fallait venir dans les mines À poivre pour Être insultÉ!—Zola.

Etre ——, to be drunk, or “tight.” See Pompette.

Dans la langue imagÉe qui a cours du cÔtÉ de Montparnasse, on dit qu’un buveur est “poivre” quand il a laissÉ sa raison au fond des pots.—Gaboriau.

Canarder un ——, to rob a drunkard.

Poivreau, or poivrot; m. (popular), drunkard, “lushington.” From poivre, rank brandy. Boutmy says: “Un ‘poivreau’ que le culte de Bacchus a plongÉ dans la plus grande dÉbine, se fit renvoyer de son atelier. Par pitiÉ ... ses camarades font entre eux une collecte ... notre poivreau revient une heure aprÈs complÈtement ivre.

“—Vous n’Êtes pas honteux, de vous mettre dans un État pareil avec l’argent que l’on vous avait donnÉ pour vous acheter un vÊtement?

“—Eh bien! rÉpondit l’incorrigible ivrogne, j’ai pris une ‘culotte.’”

Poivrement, m. (thieves’), payment.

Poivrer (general), to overcharge, or “to shave;” to give a venereal disease.

Poivreur, m. (thieves’), one who pays; one who “shells out the shiners.”

Poivrier, m. (popular and thieves’), drunkard. See Poivrot. Faire le ——, barboter le ——, to rob a drunkard.

A nous trois, nous avons barbotÉ pas mal de poivriers.—Le Petit Journal.

Poivrier, spirit shop; thief who robs drunkards, a “bug-hunter.”

PoivriÈre, f. (popular), woman suffering from a venereal disease. Vol À la ——, robbing drunkards.

Le pillage d’un Étalage par le jeune Z.; enfin le pillage “À la poivriÈre” d’un ivrogne, couchÉ sur un banc.—Grosclaude, Gil Blas.

Poivrot, m. (general), drunkard, or habitual drunkard, “mop.” To be on the “mop” is to be on the drink from day to day, to be perpetually “stale drunk.” The synonyms of poivrot are “polonais, poivrier, pompier, Éponge, mouillard, sac À vin,” &c., and in the English slang, “lushington, bibber,” and the old word “swill-pot,” used by Urquhart in his translation of Rabelais:—

What doth that part of our army in the meantime which overthrows that unworthy swill-pot Grangousier?

Une filature À poivrots, an establishment where spirits are retailed. (Thieves’) Fabriquer un ——, cueillir un ——, to pick the pockets of a drunken man, the thief being termed in the English slang a “bug-hunter.”

Poivrotter (popular), se ——, to get drunk, or “tight.” For synonyms see Sculpter.

Police, f. (military), bonnet de ——, recruit, or “Johnny raw.”

Ah! mille milliards de trompettes À piston! S’Être laissÉ tarauder ainsi par un bleu ... par un blanc bec ... un carapata ... un bonnet de police; un conscrit enfin!—Dubois de Gennes.

Police (prostitutes’), se mettre À la ——, to have one’s name taken down in the police-books as a prostitute. All such women have to fulfil that formality, failing which they are liable to be summarily locked up.

Polichinelle (popular), avaler le ——, to partake of communion. Avoir un —— dans le tiroir, to be pregnant, or “lumpy.” Un ——, large glass of brandy.

Si mon auguste Épouse ne reÇoit pas sa trempÉe ce soir, je veux que ce polichinelle-lÀ me serve de poison.—Gavarni.

Agacer un —— sur le zinc, to have a glass of brandy at the bar.

Polik (Breton cant), cat; attorney.

Polir. See Asphalte, Bitume.

Polisseuse de mÂts de cocagne en chambre, f. (popular), a variety of the prostitute tribe, whose spÉcialitÉ may more easily be guessed at than described. In Latin fellatrix. See Gadoue.

Polisson, m. (vagrants’). Formerly one of the tribe of rogues and mendicants, a miserably clad beggar.

Polissons sont ceux qui ont des frusquins qui ne valent que floutiÈre; en hiver quand sigris bouesse, c’est lorsque leur État est plus chenastre.—Le Jargon de l’Argot. (“Polissons” are those who possess clothes in rags; in winter, when it is cold, then is their trade more profitable.)

(Obsolete) Polisson, pad worn under the dress to make up for the lack of rotundity in a certain part of the body, bustle, or “bird-cage.”

Dames et demoiselles quelconques, qui, pour supplÉer au manque de rondeur de certaines parties, portent ce que Madame de Genlis appelle, tout crÛment, un polisson, et que nous appelons une tournure.—Th. Gautier.

Polissonner (theatrical), to hiss, “to give the big bird.”

L’auteur est un client, sa derniÈre piÈce a ÉtÉ un peu polissonnÉe (sifflÉe). Il s’agit de lui donner une revanche pour celle-ci!—Balzac.

Politiculard, m. (journalists’), a contemptuous term for a worthless politician.

Y a pas.... C’est un rude homme tout d’mÊme, qu’eul’ Bismarck qui vient d’gueuler comm’ un tonnerre au Reichstag.... En v’lÀ-z-un qui leur-z-y parle comm’ y mÉritent, À c’troupeau d’politiculards allemands, presqu’ aussi toc qu’ les nÔtres, au fond, j’m’imagine.—Le Cri du Peuple, 16 Janvier, 1887.

Polka, f. and m. (models’), indecent photograph of nude figures. (Popular) Faire danser la —— À quelqu’un, to thrash one, “to wallop.” See Voie.(Familiar) Polka, silly young dandy, an indefatigable dancer.

Les jolies femmes dÉdaignent les petits polkas.—Figaro.

Polkiste, m. (familiar), in favour of the polka.

Polochon, m. (popular), bolster. (Military) Mille polochons! a mild oath.

Polonais, m. (popular), drunken man, see Poivrot; man employed to keep order in a brothel, and who is called upon to interfere when any disturbance takes place among the clientÈle and ladies of the place.

Quand la dame du lieu, À bout de priÈres, parle de faire descendre le Polonais, le tapage s’apaise comme par enchantement.—Delvau.

Polonais, a small pressing iron.

Elle promenait doucement, dans le fond de la coiffe, le polonais, un petit fer arrondi des deux bouts.—Zola, L’Assommoir.

Pomaquer (thieves’), to lose. Votre greffier n’est pas pomaquÉ, your cat is not lost. Pomaquer, to arrest, “to smug.” See Piper. Mon poteau s’est fait —— par la rousse, my comrade has allowed himself to be apprehended by the police, or my “pal” got “smugged” by the “reelers.” Pomaquer, to take.

VoilÀ! En rangeant les cambrioles (petites boutiques) on a peut-Être laissÉ se plaquer (tomber) un gluant (bÉbÉ) de carton, et je voudrais le pomaquer (prendre) pour ma daronne (mÈre).—Richepin.

Pommade, f. (popular), flattery, “soft sawder.” Jeter de la ——, to flatter, “to butter up.” Pommade, ruin; misfortune. Tomber dans la ——, to be ruined, “to be chawed up,” or “smashed up.”

Pommader (popular), quelqu’un, to thrash one, or “to anoint,” see Voie; to flatter, “to butter up.” Se ——, to get drunk, or “screwed.” See Sculpter.

Pommadeur, m. (popular), flatterer, one who gives “soft sawder;” man who buys damaged furniture and sells it again after having filled up the cracks with putty.

Pommadin, m. (popular), assistant to a hair-dresser; swell, or “gorger.” See Gommeux.

Pommard, m. (old cant), cider. From pomme, apple.

Pomme, f. (popular and thieves’), head, or “tibby;” face, or “mug.” See Tronche.

(Popular) Pomme de rampe, bald head, “bladder of lard.” Sucer la ——, to kiss. Une —— À vers, Dutch cheese. Une —— de canne, grotesque face, or “knocker face.” Avoir une —— de canne fÊlÉe, to be deranged, “to have a slate off,” “to be balmy.” See Avoir. Aux pommes, or bate aux pommes, excellent, first-rate, “slap up.” Concerning the expression Rigaud says: “Deux consommateurs, un habituÉ et un Étranger, demandent, dans un cafÉ, chacun un bifteck, le premier aux pommes, le second naturel, nature, dans l’argot des restaurateurs. Le garÇon chargÉ des commandes vole vers les cuisines et s’Écrie d’une voix retentissante, ‘Deux biftecks, dont un aux pommes, soignÉ!’ Le mot fit fortune. C’est depuis ce jour qu’on dit, Aux pommes, pour soignÉ.” (Military) C’est comme des pommes, it is useless.

PommÉ, adj. (familiar and popular), excessive, “awful.” BÊtise pommÉe, great stupidity.

Pommer, or paumer (thieves’ and cads’), to apprehend, “to nail,” or “to smug.”

Paumer ses plumes, to feel dull.

Pommier, m. (popular), en fleurs, breasts of a young maiden; —— stÉrile, skinny breasts.

Pompage, m. (popular), libations, “lushing.”

Pompe, f. (tailors’), touching up of ill-fitting garments. Petite ——, grande ——, respectively, touching up of waistcoats and coats. (Familiar and popular) Pompe funÈbre, a variety of prostitute. In Latin fellatrix. (Military schools’) Le corps de ——, the staff of instructors. La ——, work.

(Military) La —— du part-À-douze, imaginary pump in the paradise from which rain is supposed to spout.

Parfait, s’Écrie Cousinet, il me paraÎt que le pÈre Eternel il a mis quatre hommes de renfort À la pompe du part-À-douze!... VoilÀ ce qui peut s’appeler une averse de bonheur!—Dubois de Gennes.

(Popular and thieves’) Pompe, shoe, “trotter case, or daisy root.” See Ripaton. Refiler un coup de —— dans l’oignon, to kick one in the behind, “to root.”

Pomper (popular), to drink much, “to guzzle,” see Rincer; to work hard, “to sweat;” (shopmen’s) —— le gaz, to be the victim of a practical joke, which consists in making a new-comer ply an imaginary gas-pump. Pomper meant formerly to make a sacrifice to Venus. Le Roux gives the explanation in the following words: “Dans un sens Équivoque et malicieux, pour faire le dÉduit.”

Pompette, adj. (general), Être ——, to be intoxicated.

Ce serait moule de ne pas rigoler parfois.... On se sÉpara À trois heures, dÉlicatement pompettes.—Emile Kapp, La Joie des Pauvres.

Rabelais uses the word with the signification of “grog-blossoms.” The terms graduating the scale of drunkenness, beginning with those which denote mild intoxication, are: “Avoir sa pointe, son allumette, sa pistache, un grain; Être bien, montÉ, en train, lancÉ, parti, poussÉ, en patrouille, ÉmÊchÉ, Ému, bamboche; voir en dedans, Être dessous, dans les brouillards, pavois, allumÉ, gai, dans un État voisin, mouillÉ, humectÉ, casquette, bu, bien pansÉ, pochard, poche, gavÉ, cinglÉ, plein, rond, complet, rond comme une balle, raide, raide comme la justice, paf, slasse, poivre, riche, chargÉ, dans la paroisse de Saint-Jean le Rond, dans les vignes du seigneur, vent dessus dessous, fier, dans les broussailles, dans les brindezingues; avoir un coup de bouteille, de sirop, de soleil, de gaz, de feu, sa chique, un sabre, son paquet, son casque, une culotte, le nez sale, son plumet, son jeune homme, son caillou, sa cocarde, une barbe, son pompon, son poteau, son toquet, son sac, sa cuite, son affaire, son compte, son plein, sa pente, en avoir une vraie mufÉe; Être saoul comme un Âne, comme un hanneton, comme une grive, comme un Polonais; Être pion, en avoir jusqu’À la troisiÈme capucine, saoul comme trente mille hommes, Être asphyxiÉ.” According to the Slang Dictionary the slang terms for mild intoxication are certainly very choice; they are, “beery, bemused, boozy, bosky, buffy, corned, foggy, fou, fresh, hazy, elevated, kisky, lushy, moony, muggy, muzzy, on, screwed, slewed, tight, and winey.” A higher or more intense state of beastliness is represented by the expressions, “podgy, beargered, blued, cut, primed, lumpy, ploughed, muddled, obfuscated, swipey, three sheets in the wind, and top-heavy.” But the climax of fuddlement is only obtained when the “disguised” individual “can’t see a hole in a ladder,” or when he is “all mops and brooms,” or “off his nut,” or “with his mainbrace well spliced,” or with “the sun in his eyes,” or when he has “lapped the gutter,” and got the “gravel-rash,” or is on the “ran-tan,” or on the “ree-raw,” or when “sewed up,” and regularly “scammered,”—then, and not till then, is he entitled, in vulgar society, to the title of “lushington,” or recommended to “put in the pin,” i.e., the linch-pin, to keep his legs steady. We may add to this long list the expression which is to be found in A Supplementary English Glossary, by T. Lewis O. Davies, “to hunt a tavern fox,” or “to be foxed.”

The same author gives “muckibus,” tipsy, to be found in Walpole’s Letters.

Pompier, m. (popular), drunken man, one who is “screwed;” drunkard, or “lushington;” a mixture of vermout and cassis; pocket-handkerchief, “snottinger;” —— de nuit, scavenger employed in emptying the cesspools, “gold-finder.” (Tailors’) Pompier, journeyman tailor whose functions are to touch up the ill-fitting parts of garments; (Ecole Polytechnique) musical rigmarole which the students sing on the occasion of certain holidays; (military) soldier who is the reverse of smart; (literary) productions written in a conventional, commonplace style; (students’) member of the Institut de France; a student preparing for an examination. (Artists’) Faire son ——, consisted in painting a large picture representing some Roman or Greek hero in full armour, and armed with shield, lance, or sword. For the following explanation I am indebted to Mr. G. D., a French artist well known to the English public:—

Du temps de David et plus tard on disait d’un artiste qui n’avait pas eu le prix de Rome: bah! il fera son pompier, il rÉussira tout de mÊme. Or, faire son pompier, c’Était peindre un grand tableau reprÉsentant un Grec ou un Romain cÉlÈbre avec casque, bouclier et lance; une ville en flammes dans le fond; et si le nu,—car il n’y avait d’autre costume que l’armure,—si le nu dis-je, Était bien, l’artiste obtenait un succÈs. Le pompier Était achetÉ gÉnÉralement par le gouvernement pour Être placÉ dans un musÉe de province. Quand vous visiterez les musÉes de France, vous n’aurez pas de chance si vous ne trouvez pas au moins trois pompiers. Il paraÎt que les greniers du Louvre en possÈdent des quantitÉs qui y restent faute de place dans les musÉes.

Pompon, m. (popular), head, “nut,” or “tibby.” See Tronche. DÉvisser le —— À quelqu’un, to break one’s head. Un vieux ——, an old fool, “doddering old sheep’s head.” Avoir son ——, to be drunk, or “screwed.” See Pompette.

(Military) Pompon, drunkard.

Ponant, m. (popular), the behind. See Vasistas.

Ponante, f. (thieves’), prostitute of the lowest class, “draggle-tail.” The connection with “ponant” is obvious. See Gadoue.

Ponce, f. (thieves’ and roughs’), refiler une ——, to thrash, “to set about” one. See Voie.

Pondant, m. (schools’), guardian of a school-boy whose parents live at a distance, who takes him out on holidays.

Pondre (popular), to work, “to graft;” —— sur ses oeufs, to keep on increasing one’s wealth; —— un oeuf, to ease oneself, “to go to the chapel of ease.” See Mouscailler.

Poney, m. (sporting), five hundred francs. Double ——, carriage and pair of ponies.

Son petit air fripon et la crÂnerie avec laquelle elle conduit son double poney.—Figaro, Oct., 1886.

Poniffe, or poniffle, f. (thieves’), prostitute, “bunter.” See Gadoue.

Ponifler (thieves’), to make love to a woman.

Pont, m. (popular), d’Avignon, prostitute, or “mot.” See Gadoue. (Card-sharpers’) Faire le —— sec, to slightly bend a card at the place at which it is desired the pack should be cut. (Familiar and popular) Couper dans le ——, to believe a falsehood; to fall into a snare. (Thieves’) Donner un —— À faucher, to prepare a snare for one. (Officials’) Faire le ——, is to keep away from one’s office on a day preceded and followed by a holiday. (Popular) Pont-levis de cul (obsolete), breeches.

Chausses À la martingale ce qui est un pont-levis de cul.—Rabelais.

(Roughs’) Le —— aux bergÈres, the Halles, or Paris central market. Aller au —— aux bergÈres, to go to that place for the purpose of meeting with a prostitute.

Pontaniou, m. (sailors’), prison.

Ponter (gamesters’), to stake; —— dur, to play high; —— sec, to stake large sums at intervals. (Bohemians’) Ponter, to pay, “to fork out.”

Pontes pour l’af, f. pl. (thieves’), a gathering of card-sharpers.

Ponteur, m. (popular), man who keeps a woman; (familiar and popular) gamester.

Pontife, m. (popular), shoemaker. An allusion to the souliers À pont in fashion at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Souverain ——, master shoemaker.

Ponton, m. (popular), d’amarrage, hulks. (Sailors’) Devenir ——, to become old, worn out.

PontonniÈre, f. (popular), prostitute who plies her trade under the arches of bridges.

Les pontonniÈres frÉquentent le dessous des ponts ... toutes ces filles sont des voleuses. Le macque qui joue ici un rÔle plus actif que le barbillon ne quitte sa largue ni jour ni nuit.—Canler.

Popotte, f. (familiar), table d’hÔte. Faire la ——, to cook. Etre ——, is said of a very plain, homely woman. (Military) Popotte, military mess in a small way.

L’unique cabaret de HanoÏ le vit donc À l’heure de l’absinthe, mÊlÉ aux uniformes, et il connut les rÉunions de table par “fractions de corps,” les popottes oÙ les officiers dÉvoraient joyeusement les vivres ferrugineux des boÎtes de conserves.—P. Bonnetain, L’Opium.

Popotter. See Popotte.

Populo, m. (familiar), populace, or “mob.” Swift informs us, in his Art of Polite Conversation, that “mob” was, in his time, the slang abbreviation of mobility, just as nob is of nobility at the present day.

It is perhaps this humour of speaking no more words than we need which has so miserably curtailed some of our words, that in familiar writing and conversation they often lose all but their first syllables, as in mob, red. pos. incog. and the like.—Addison’s Spectator.

Burke called the populace “the great unwashed.”

Porc-Épic, m. (thieves’), the Holy Sacrament. An allusion to the metal beams which encircle the Host.

Portanche, m. (thieves’), doorkeeper.

Port d’armes, m. (military), laisser au ——, to leave the service before another; to leave one waiting.

Porte, f. (familiar and popular), ne plus pouvoir passer sous la —— Saint-Denis, to be an injured husband. Alluding to the height of his horns. Un clos ——, a doorkeeper. A play on the words clot porte and cloporte, woodlouse. It must be said that in Paris the concierges are generally much detested by lodgers, and deservedly so.

PortÉ, adj. (familiar and popular), sur l’article, one with a well-developed bump of amativeness; (military schools’) —— sur la liste des ÉlÈves morts, on the sick list.

Porte-aumusse, m. (popular), master shoemaker, or “snob.”

Porte-balle, m. (popular), humpback, or “lord.”

Porte-bonheur, m. (familiar and popular), pig. Termed in English thieves’ cant, “grunting cheat, or patricoe’s kinchen.” An allusion to certain trinkets which represent this animal and are said to bring luck to the wearer.

Porte-bottes, m. (military), trooper, in opposition to “guÊtrÉ,” foot-soldier.

L’hiver c’est À l’Écurie que le porte-bottes prÉcÈde de beaucoup le rÉveil de ses bons voisins les guÊtrÉs.—Dubois de Gennes.

Porte-chance, m. (popular), lump of excrement, or “quaker.” Literally luck-bearer. Superstitious people in France believe that treading by chance on the above-mentioned is an unfailing sign of a forthcoming moneyed windfall.

Porte-crÈme, m. (popular), scavenger employed at emptying the cesspools, “gold-finder.”

Porte de prison, f. (popular), ill-natured, snarling person; one who is constantly “nasty,” or “grumble guts;” one whose speeches jar on the ear as unpleasantly as the grating of a prison door.

Portefeuille, m. (familiar and popular), bed, “doss, bug-walk, kip.” Se fourrer dans son ——, to go to bed, to get into “kip.” Mettre un lit en ——, to make an “apple-pie” bed.

De classe en classe les soldats se transmettent un certain nombre de facÉties ... mettre le lit du bleu en portefeuille, de faÇon qu’il ne puisse entrer plus loin que les chevilles.—G. Courteline.

Portefeuilliste, m. (familiar), minister of state.

Porte-luque, m. (thieves’), pocket-book, “dummy, or dee.”

Porte-maillot, m. (theatrical), ballet dancer. Literally one who wears tights.

Porte-manteau, m. (popular), Épaules en ——, high and flat shoulders.

Porte-mince, m. (thieves’), pocket-book, “dee, or dummy.”

Porte-morningue, m. (thieves’), purse, “skin,” or “poge.” Termed also “porte-mornif.”

Porte-nageoires, m. (familiar and popular), man who lives on prostitutes’ earnings, “pensioner.” For synonyms see Poisson.

Porte-pipe, m. (popular), mouth, “mug, rattle-trap, kisser, gob.”

Porte-poigne, m. (popular), glove.

Porter (familiar and popular), en faire ——, to deceive conjugally. For faire porter des cornes.

En ——, to be deceived conjugally. Porter À la peau, to inspire with carnal desires; —— le deuil de sa blanchisseuse, to have linen the reverse of snow-white. Literally to be in mourning for one’s washerwoman; —— sa malle, to be a humpback, or “lord;” (thieves’) —— gaffe, to be on sentry duty. Un grivier qui porte gaffe, a soldier on sentry duty. Porter du gras-double au moulin, to sell stolen lead to a receiver, or “fence.”

Porte-trÈfle, m. (popular), trousers, “kicks.” See TrÈfle.

Porteur, m. (thieves’), de camoufle, prostitute’s bully, “ponce.” See Poisson. “Camoufle” is equivalent to chandelle, and “tenir la chandelle” is to favour the intercourse of lovers. (Popular) Avoir cassÉ la gueule À son —— d’eau, to have one’s menses.

Porteuse, f. (thieves’) hand, “picker, famm, duke, or daddle.”

Porte-veine. See Porte-bonheur.

Portez! remettez! (cavalry), a mock command said when anyone has just uttered something foolish, or a “bull.”

Portier, m., portiÈre, f. (familiar and popular), scandal-monger. Alluding to the propensity of Paris doorkeepers for scandal.

Portion, f. (military), prostitute, or “barrack-hack.” Demi ——, chum.

—Mon bon camarade Cousinet, hÉ donc!

—Ah! tu es la demi-portion du Merlan? C’est un bon zigue.—Dubois de Gennes.

Portrait, m. (popular), face, “mug.” DÉgrader le —— À quelqu’un, to strike one in the face, to give one a “facer,” “to fetch one a bang in the mug,” or “to give a biff in the jaw” (Americanism).

Portugal, m. (popular), une entrÉe de ——, said of a bad, awkward rider.

Pose, f. (familiar and popular), la faire À la ——, to assume an air of superiority. Faut pas me la faire À la ——, “you mustn’t come Shakespeare over me, you mustn’t come Rothschild over me,” &c. (Popular) A moi la ——! words used by a man who has just received a blow, to express his intention of returning it with interest. Literally, expression used by domino players, my turn to play!

Poser (artists’), l’ensemble, to pose nude; (familiar and popular) —— un factionnaire, or un pÉpin, to ease oneself, “to bury a quaker,” see Mouscailler;—— un lapin, or lapiner, to deceive, to take one in. More specially to enjoy the good graces of a cocotte and make off without giving her a fee, “to do a bilk.”

Si l’abbÉ Roussel a essayÉ de “poser un lapin” et s’il laisse vraiment cette petite noceuse sous une prÉvention de ce genre, voilÀ qui m’indigne.—Francis Enne, Le Radical.

For explanation see Lapin. Faire —— quelqu’un, to make one wait a long time; to fool one, “to bamboozle.” Poser pour le torse, to bear oneself so as to show off one’s figure; (popular) —— sa chique, to hold one’s tongue, “to be mum.” Pose ta chique, “hold your jaw, or stubble your whids.” Poser et marcher dedans, to get bewildered; to betray oneself; (thieves’) —— un gluau, to lay a trap, or make preparations for the apprehension of a criminal, of one who is “wanted” by the police. Gluau, bird-lime.

Poses, f. pl. (gamesters’), faire des ——, to insert certain cards prepared for cheating purposes in a pack.

Poseur de lapins, m. (familiar and popular), artful fellow who fools simple-minded folk.

Le garÇon.—Trente-sept francs soixante-quinze, messieurs.

DeuxiÈme provincial, bondissant.—Trente-sept francs soixante-quinze! Comment, nous n’avons que nos deux “assinthes” et les deux bocks de ce monsieur!

Le garÇon.—Oui, mais il y a l’addition de ce monsieur qui a dÉjeÛnÉ avec une dame ... vous Êtes du Midi, n’est-ce pas, messieurs?... Eh bien, croyez-moi: À Paris, mieux vaut encore parler tout seul que de lier conversation avec un “poseur de lapins.”—Paul Mahalin.

The epithet is also applied to a man who deceives a woman of indifferent character by making promises of money or presents, one who does a “bilk.”

Eva sonne sa femme de chambre qui vient pendant qu’il murmure: chÂmante, chÂmante!

—Tu peux le prendre, s’il te convient, moi, je n aime pas les poseurs de lapins.—Mathurine, La Marotte.

Poseuse, f. (theatrical), female singer whose business is to pose.

LÀ, il put À son aise imposer son rÉpertoire aux chanteurs, rÉpertoire fort variÉ, du reste, car pour les “poseuses” on fit murmurer le rossignol et le papillon se poser sur la rose À peine Éclose.—J. Sermet.

Position, f. (thieves’), trunk, portmanteau, “peter.” Thieves judge of a man’s standing by his “traps.”

PossÉdÉ, m. (thieves’), brandy, “bingo,” in old cant.

PossÉder son embouchure (popular), to have a natural talent for speechifying, “to have the gift of the gab.”

Poste, m. (sailors’), or —— aux choux, victualling boat.

PostÉrieurs, m. pl. (popular), limonadier des ——, apothecary, one who used to perform the “clysterium donare” of MoliÈre. Termed also “flÛtencul,” and formerly “mirancu.”

Postiche, f. (printers’), dull story; humbug, “regular flam, or gammon;” (thieves’) gathering of people in the street, enabling rogues to ease someone of his valuables, “scuff.”

PostiÈre, f. (popular), female clerk employed at the post office.

Postige, f. (mountebanks’), preliminary performance of mountebanks.

Postillon, m. (thieves’), pellet used as a mode of communication between prisoners, or between a prisoner and outsiders.

Un postillon est tout simplement une boulette de mie de pain pÉtrie entre les doigts et renfermant une lettre, un avis.—MÉmoires de Canler.

Envoyer le ——, to correspond thus. (Popular) Postillon d’eau chaude, engine driver, “puffing billy” driver; hospital assistant whose functions consist in administering clysters to patients, an operation described by MoliÈre as “clysterium donare.”

Postillonner (thieves’), to correspond by means of the “postillon” (which see); (familiar and popular) to spit involuntarily when talking.

Posture, f. (popular), en ——, apothecary, or “pill-driver.” Termed also “potard.”

Pot, m. (thieves’), cabriolet, a kind of gig. Termed also “cuiller À pot, or potiron roulant.”

Enlevez le grÉ, le pot et les frusquins du sinve qui s’est esgarÉ avec les miens.—Vidocq. (Take away the horse, the gig, and the clothes of the fool who ran away with mine.)

Pot, crucible used by coiners. (Popular) Fouille au ——, man who is fond of taking liberties with women.

Il fallait le voir toujours en petoche autour d’elle. Un vrai fouille-au-pot, qui tÂtait sa jupe par derriÈre, dans la foule, sans avoir l’air de rien.—Zola.

Potache, m. (students’), pupil at a lycÉe, a government school. Probably a corruption of “potasse,” from “potasser,” a slang term used by students to signify to work. L. Larchey says the origin of the word may be found in “pot-À-chien,” college cap.

Potager, m. (popular), brothel, “nanny-shop, flash-drum, or, academy.”

Pot-À-minium, m. (popular), painter or house decorator.

Pot-À-moineaux, m. (popular), large hat, “mushroom.”

Potard, m. (popular), apothecary, “pill-driver, gallipot, or squirt.”

C’t Arthur de Bretagne, n’fut mÊme pas l’premier ouvrage d’ Claude Bernard puisque ... l’ÉlÈve pharmacien avait fait reprÉsenter À Lyon une bluette pas mÉchante.... Avec son manuscrit dans sa malle le jeune potard vint À Paris.—Trublot, Le Cri du Peuple.

Potasser (students’), to work. Termed “to sap” at Winchester and many other schools. Also to work hard, “to mug.”

Pot-À-tabac, m. (popular), short and stout person, “humpty dumpty;” dull, insignificant man, “very small potatoes;” (thieves’) policeman. Termed also “rousse, roussin, bÂton de rÉglisse, baladin, cagne, cogne, balai, serin, pousse, vache, arnif, peste, tronche À la manque, flaquadard, cabestan, raille (detective officer), railleux, sacre, grive, laune, flique, bec-de-gaz, estaffier, bourrique, pousse-cul, lampion rouge, escargot de trottoir, cierge, sergo;” in the English cant and slang, “crusher, worm, pig, bobby, blue-bottle, reeler, copper, Johnny Darby (corruption of gendarme), philip, philistine, peeler, raw lobster, slop;” and in ancient cant of beggars, “harmanbek.” Whence “beak,” or magistrate.

Pot-au-feu, m. (popular), behind, see Vasistas; (coiners’) crucible in which coiners melt the metal used in their nefarious trade. (Familiar) Etre ——, to be commonplace, plain.

Ce n’est pas cet imbÉcile, qui m’aurait ÉclairÉe ... il est d’ailleurs bien trop pot-au-feu.—Balzac.

Pot au vin, m. (familiar and popular), obsolete, the head.

Si Dieu me sauve le moule du bonnet, c’est le pot au vin, disait ma mÈre-grand—Rabelais.

Pot-bouille, f. (familiar and popular), kitchen and household duties in a small way. The term has passed into the language.

Poteau, m. (thieves’), un ——, a friend, or “ben cull;” a top man, or prince among the canting crew. Also the chief rogue of the gang, or the completest cheat, “dimber damber.” Termed “upright man” in old English cant. Poteaux de bal, prison chums, “schoolmen.” (Engine-drivers’) Avoir son —— kilomÉtrique is said of a man who is in a state of intoxication, but who can yet find his way. Avoir son —— tÉlÉgraphique, to be completely drunk, or “slewed.” See Pompette. According to M. Denis Poulot the different stages are “attraper une allumette ronde,” “avoir son allumette de marchand de vin,” “prendre son allumette de campagne,” “avoir son poteau,” and as above.

PotÉe, f. (popular), enfiler sa ——, to drink a litre measure of wine.

Potence, f. (popular), rascally person of either sex; “bad egg,” in the case of a man.

Potet, m. (popular), whimsical man; old fool, or “doddering old sheep’s head.”

Potin, m. (popular), row, uproar. Faire du ——, to make loud complaints.

Faire du ——, is said also of some event which causes great excitement.

Avant-hier a ÉtÉ donnÉ aux ambassadeurs un dÎner de douze couverts qui certainement fera du potin dans le monde qui s’amuse.—Figaro, Oct., 1886.

(Familiar and popular) Potin, scandalous report. Synonymous of cancans. Concerning the latter expression Madame de Genlis quotes the following conversation between General Decaen, who was at the time aide-de-camp to his brother, and who had been arrested by the gendarmerie on his way to the camp:—

Comment vous nommez-vous? lui demanda le brigadier.

—Decaen.

—D’oÙ Êtes-vous?

—De Caen.

—Qu’Êtes-vous?

—Aide de camp.

—De qui?

—Du gÉnÉral Decaen.

—OÙ allez-vous?

—Au camp.

—Oh! oh! dit le brigadier, qui n’aimait pas les calembourgs, il y a trop de cancans dans votre affaire; vous allez passer la nuit au violon, sur un lit de camp.—MÉmoires.

Potiner (familiar and popular), to talk scandal.

Potinier (familiar and popular), scandal-monger.

Potiron, m. (popular), the behind; (thieves’) —— roulant, gig.

Potot, or poteau, m. (convicts’), friend, or “pal;” Sodomist.

Potred ann taouen (Breton cant), cod-fishers.

Potred ann tok-tok (Breton cant), slaters.

Pou affamÉ, m. (popular), greedy man, a worshipper of money.

Poubelles, f. pl. (familiar), kind of dust-bins which the inhabitants have to place at their doors every morning, in accordance with a recent regulation promulgated by M. Poubelle, Prefect of the Seine.

Pouce, m. (popular), avoir le —— rond, to be dexterous, skilful. Donner le coup de ——, to give short weight; to strangle. Et le ——! and ever so many more! (Artists’) Avoir du ——, is said of a picture painted in bold, vigorous style.

Poucette, or poussette, f. (card-sharpers’), act of adding to one’s stakes laid on the table directly the game is favourable.

Pouchon, m. (thieves’), purse, “skin, or poge.” From pochon, small pocket.

Poudre, f. (freemasons’), faible, water; —— forte, wine; —— fulminante, brandy; —— noire, coffee.

Pouffiace, or pouffiasse, f. (thieves’), prostitute; low prostitute, “draggle-tail.” See Gadoue.