“Dipping”: do you know the origin of this refreshing expression?

"It's the blessed time of the holidays", says Maurice Carême so aptly.

For the children, it's time for the beach and the construction of castles that sell more dreams than the sandman… without forgetting the donuts bought at the seaside, before running for a swim!

Yes, the summer holidays, their blue breeze and their swimming undeniably delight young and old alike.

By the way, have you noticed the affectionate delicacy of the expression make a dip to signify the fact of “going to bathe”?

Let's take advantage of the summer freedom and lounging to revel in its origin!

Note that this twist is aimed - perhaps - above all at fans of slowness and idleness...

” READ ALSO – Where does the “spritz” come from?

What a pleasure to feel like a fish in water.

But have you ever felt like a piece of bread in a drink?

Because we have here the primary meaning of this verbal group: according to the CNRTL, the notion of dip is attested for the first time in 1611, to designate a “slice of bread soaked in liquid”.

Let us add that, from the very beginning of the 19th century, the expression - which had become popular - was spun;

we now say make the dip.

Charles-Louis d'Hautel offers us the following definition, in his Dictionary of low language or ways of speaking used among the people dated 1808: "dipping bread in wine".

Throughout the 19th century, the phrase was gradually diluted to indicate a piece of bread, biscuit, or even sugar,

It was not until 1888 that Edmond de Goncourt gave the dip the metaphorical meaning of bath: on page 826 of the Journal written by the two brothers classified in the naturalist school, it is indeed a question of "the dip in soapy water.

But we have to wait another sixteen years for the New Illustrated Larousse to define the syntagm to take a dip as the action of “taking a very short bath”;

just like a "dip" in a glass.

But hey, let's see the glass half full, it is indeed a swim despite everything.

And above all, let's be reassured, since hot and cold drinks are not alone, they now have the dipping sticks to keep them company.

Customs change, but suffixes remain.