le mâchefer : Dross, clinker

88.3. tonnerre de brindezingue ! A meaningless oath. ' Brindezingue ' is slang for a wine-shop bar ; as an adjective it means ' tipsy.'

88.4. me voilà frais : ' l'il be in a pretty mess,' ' in a fine fix.'

88.5. réveillon : A midnight supper, especially on Christmas Eve.

88.6. à la mécanique : Who used the sewing-machine, machine sempstress.

89.1. je vas porter ça au Mont-de-Piété : ' I am going to put this in pawn.' The Mont-de-Piété is a State institution, wellmanaged and much more respectable than the establishments that cater for similar needs in Britain. The central premises are in the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the Marais quarter. ' Je vas ' is popular for * je vais.'

89.2. aux Lilas : ' Les Lilas ' is a suburb of Paris, some eight kilomètres from Saint-Denis. It is now an industrial centre.

89.3. rapport à ce que : Popular for ' parce que.' Cf. note 37.6.

89.4. ma quinzaine: (When I get) my fortnight's pay. Loans from the Mont-de-Piété are for no less than a fortnight in any case, although the pledge may be redeemed at any time.

89.5. Comment que je vas faire? Popular for ' Comment vais- je ' faire ? '

90.1. plein: Note that in this construction 'plein' is invariable. ' Franc ' and ' sauf ' are like ' plein ' in this respect : they do not vary when they précède the noun to which they refer. Cf. ' Il a les yeux pleins de larmes,' * Nos lettres ne sont plus franches de port,' ' Je lui donnerai tout, sauf (used as a préposition) les pièces dont je vous parle,' with the phrase in the text, with ' J'ai envoyé franc de port tous les petits paquets,' with ' avoir la vie sauve.'

Look up the words ' demi,' ' nu,' ' ci-inclus. '