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Five old-fashioned and charming words (alas) no longer in use

2021-10-18T05:16:07.809Z


"Carabistouille", "elixir" ... The use of these pretty terms is waning. Le Figaro offers them a makeover.


A

"gouape"

, a

"fier-à-bras"

,

"going out bareheaded"

... These words are no longer heard in our conversations.

Not that they have disappeared from the French language.

But their use has withered away, they have bowed out in favor of more contemporary words.

They are now found in dictionaries, witnesses of a bygone era and language.

The editorial staff suggest, dear reader, to bring them up to date.

To discover

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● Telling "carabistouilles"

If Emmanuel Macron, fond of obsolete words, had used it on the set of Jean-Pierre Pernaut in 2018, it is clear that the

“carabistouille”

is shunned by speakers today.

Charming and rounded, the word was born in the land of Jacques Brel.

The

"carabistouilles"

are

"nonsense"

, a

"calembredaine"

, notes Robert.

A

"galéjade"

, adds the Treasure of the French language.

The word is in other words synonymous with

"lies"

,

"stories"

,

"nonsense"

.

Of obscure origin, it could have been formed after

"bistouille"

, a word from the northern dialect, which means

"Bad brandy"

.

● Wearing a "knit"

Deliciously old-fashioned,

"knitting"

has faded in favor of the more generic

"sweater"

.

It still blooms sometimes on the lips of our grandmothers.

The word had a specific meaning in the 19th century.

Among the sailors, it referred to a

"piece of clothing made in knit, with blue and white stripes"

, we read in the Trésor de la langue française.

At the start of the 20th century,

"undershirt"

was a mesh fabric underwear covering the torso, which has now been renamed

"undershirt"

.

It was once called

"skin knit"

.

● “Billevesées!”

Hearing it is never a good sign!

"Words empty of meaning"

,

"words, meaningless and often erroneous writing"

, this tasty term dates back to the 15th century. Its origin is as unusual as the word is pretty. According to the French Academy, it is composed of

vesé

, that is to say

pot

-

bellied”

,

“inflated”

,

“soufflé”

, derived from

veze

,

“bagpipe”

, and a first element of obscure origin. It belongs to the onomatopoeic root

"ves"

, expressing

"a slight buzzing, a breath"

, specifies the CNRTL. If it appears in the singular, it is mostly used in the plural. It designates by extension a

“Frivolous idea, behavior, occupation or concern, without any real basis”

.

● Enjoy an “elixir”

This pretty word is very old, since it has its origins in 13th century French. In 1269, the

elixir

did not yet designate a liquor, but a

"philosopher's stone"

. This alchemy term is called

elissir

. It is borrowed, through the Latin

elixir

, from the Arabic

al-iksir

, name of the philosopher's stone, specifies the French Academy. In Arabic, it is also a kind of medicine, through its Greek root

xerion

,

"drying powder"

. This is why our word, which entered the French language, designates a

"liquid preparation based on alcohol and syrup, which masks the taste of medicinal substances"

, sold in some pharmacies.

It is also found in monasteries, in the form of

"digestive liquor in which various aromatic substances mixed with alcohol" enter

.

● The "alcove" bedroom

One can imagine with this name alone a famous scene painted by Fragonard.

“Le Verrou”

perfectly embodies the idea we have of the

“alcove”

. Shimmering colors, cozy environment, unmade bed, elegant woodwork, intimate atmosphere (dare we say libertine?) ... The word, which comes to us from the Spanish "alcoba, from the Arabic

al-qubba

, properly means

" cupola "

, Then

" small adjoining room "

.

"The alcove"

is well endowed with an implicit meaning, since it means figuratively:

"place of amorous encounters"

. We thus speak of

"alcove secrets"

, relating to intimate life, or else

"alcove stories"

, that is to say

"of erotic characters"

.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-10-18

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