He is used to amazing formulas.
Emmanuel Macron once again used, during this debate between the two rounds, an obsolete vocabulary, in any case very unusual.
As he faced his competitor Marine Le Pen this evening, the President-candidate defended his record and his vision by using a verb that we now recognize him, after five years in the presidential seat.
Le Figaro
returns to three expressions that arose during the verbal confrontation between the two candidates.
ripolinate
Emmanuel Macron used the verb "ripolin".
It comes from the name “ripolin”, which designates “very resistant lacquered paint, originally based on linseed oil, which gives a shiny appearance”, informs the Treasure of the French language.
The verb itself, which appeared in French in 1900, means “to paint with ripolin”, that is to say “with a very shiny lacquered paint”.
Emmanuel Macron used this verb as a synonym for "hiding, concealing reality under a brilliant appearance".
Some Internet users do not hesitate to compare this old-fashioned term to its “perlimpinpin powder” of 2017.
Stunting
“And you are talking to me about stunting?”, he insulted Marine Le Pen.
Here is another literary word.
According to Le Larousse, it is a “state of someone, of a plant, of something that is stunted.”
It comes from the verb “stunten”, and designates the fact of decreasing, underlines the Treasure of the French language.
Figuratively, "stunting" is "that which constitutes regression, impoverishment in relation to something else".
"It's not Gérard Majax tonight Mrs. Le Pen"
It's a safe bet that the younger generation watching the debate hasn't grasped the meaning of this phrase.
Gérard Majax is a French magician, who has presented shows on French television like
Abracadabra, Y'a un truc, Passe-passe, Magie-surprise (hidden camera), La caverne d'Abracadabra and Magie-Majax
.
By using such a comparison, Emmanuel Macron wanted to insist that tonight's debate was not a magic game, positioning himself as a candidate rooted in reality.