These French expressions (5/5) – Every Thursday, Le Figaro He invites you to rediscover these expressions that only work in France…
“Either I don’t have a net, or the Portuguese are stuck in the sand!” At the end of the line, your interlocutor suffers. “H like Henry, like Anatole…”, You’re knocking it though. No problem, he doesn’t understand. His ears were clearly blocked. But prefer this particular French expression, perhaps the most accurate, of “Portuguese sandy”.
There is actually nothing Portuguese about this expression. “There is nothing to do with the majestic here.” Pastures », the beautiful sandy beaches of the coast. As he explained Historical dictionary of the French languageThe word “Portuguese” refers to a variety of concave shellfish from the Indian Ocean. It was accidentally transported to Lisbon by ship in the 19th century, and became popular on the European Atlantic coast. The shape and grooves of the oyster are exactly like those found in the ears! This is of course, whether they are Portuguese or French.
Read also“Tulip”, “Madonna”… Only a French idiot would know the origin of these foreign words
Since 1950, we have been speaking colloquially “Portuguese” to refer to what we more commonly call “esgourdes”. As for our expression, it seems that we find its first appearance in 1953 AD Don’t touch the grispy“Albert Simonin’s novel:”And then his Portuguese phrases are a little sandy, I swear. Also constipated by leaves, I’ve never met anyone like him before… Hello!» The book was made into a film of the same name the following year, which marked Lino Ventura’s screen debut and relaunched Jean Gabin’s career.
But why talk about silt? We understand that oysters can contain sand. We easily recognize the image of the ear that, perfectly “silt”He can barely hear it. If the idea bothers you, you can always use the expression “Deaf as stone.” You should know that in Italy, when you are deaf, you are deaf “Like a bell.” In Spain, “Like a pole”. And in Ireland, “Like a drum”…
But what about our Portuguese neighbors, who unfairly bear the brunt of this misunderstood expression? In Portugal, it’s not sand in your ear, but wax: “Then he will not hear.“And in Brazil, which we often forget is a Portuguese-speaking country, we say we are “Deaf as a door”.
