On November 11, 1918, the bells rang full blast in the bell towers.
The Great War is over, the Armistice is finally declared.
It is the Liberation.
In the trenches, the soldiers, the
"hairy"
, as they have been called since the beginning of the war, return home, carrying in their gear a jargon which has flourished in the trenches.
And which became popular in the cottages as the Great War bogged down.
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Sheltered in their trenches, they mount the
"gaff"
(guard), are infested by
"gautiers"
(lice), and light up in the dim light of
"hood boxes"
(gas), while in the distance
"it whispers"
(they sense a danger). The language of the combatants of the
"Der des Der"
sometimes turns out to be obscure, but it sheds some light on the daily life that was theirs for four years. In
The Hairy As It Speaks. Dictionary of recent popular terms and new military personnel in 1914-1918
, published in 1919 (Paris Bossard editions), Gaston Esnault traces the etymology of these terms and expressions used in the trenches, some of which were exported to the rear, in the daily life of civilians.
As we commemorate the Armistice,
Le Figaro invites
you to test your knowledge of soldiers' slang during the Great War.
Will you get 10/10?