‹ Sacs et parchemins;Chapitre 5 sur 84 · I. les vertes allures, ' the sharp manner · texte numérisé non relu

I. les vertes allures, ' the sharp manner

Madame Jourdain, the wife of Mohère's bourgeois gentilho7nme.

,, 3. sans plus se gêner, ' without mincing matters.' Gêner, from géhenne, ' gehenna, ' formerly meant ' to torture, ' but

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now only ' to impede, ' ' to inconvenience. ' For a similar weakening of the original meaning cf. étonner, déplaisir, ennui, etc.

3. 7. quoi qu'on dise : cf. Molière's famous quoi quon die in Les

Femmes Savantes. Quoique, ' although ' ; quoi que, ' whatever.' Both require the subjunctive.

19. que tu feras valoir, ' that you will farm. ' Cf. se faire valoir, ' to keep up one's dignity,' ' to set one's self off. ' , , 20. de ta commune : the ' commune ' is the territorial division administered by a mayor. There are over thirty-seven thousand in France.

27. si vous avez du pain sur la planche, ' if your larder is well stocked,' 'if you are well provided for.' A familiar expression such as plain Mme. Levrault would have delighted to use.

, , 30. peut-être eût-elle réussi : after what other words is this construction found?

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