Argot and Slang. Albert Barrere
some vague resemblance with a boudin, or large sausage. For list of synonymous expressions, see Gommeux.
Boudins, m. pl. (popular), fat fingers and hands.
Boueux, m. (popular), scavenger.
Bouffard, m. (popular), smoker.
Bouffarde, f. (popular), pipe, or “cutty.”
Bouffarder (popular), to smoke, to “blow a cloud.”
Bouffardière, f. (popular), an estaminet, that is, a café where smoking is allowed; chimney.
Bouffe, f. (popular), box on the ear, “buckhorse.”
Bouffe-la-Balle, m., gormandizer, or “stodger;” man with a fat, puffed-up, dumpling face.
Bouffer (military), la botte, to be bamboozled by a woman, in what circumstances it is needless to say. (Popular) Bouffer, to eat. Se—— le nez, to fight.
Bouffeter (popular), to chat.
Bouffeur, m. (popular), de blanc, prostitute’s bully, “pensioner;” —— de kilomètres, a nickname for the “Chasseurs de Vincennes,” a picked body of rifles who do duty as skirmishers and scouts, and who are noted for their agility.
Bouffiasse, m. (popular), man with fat, puffed-up cheeks.
Bougie, f. (popular), walking-stick; a blind man’s stick; —— grasse, candle.
Bougre, m. (popular), stalwart and plucky man, one who is “spry;” —— à poils, dauntless, resolute man. Bon——, a good fellow, a “brick.” Mauvais——, man of a snarling, evil-minded disposition. The word is used often with a disparaging sense, Bougre de cochon, you dirty pig; —— de serin, you ass. Littré derives the word bougre from Bulgarus, Bulgarian. The heretic Albigeois, who shared the religious ideas of some of the Bulgarians, received the name of “bougres.”
Bougrement (popular), extremely. C’est—— difficile, it is awfully hard.
Boui, m. (popular), house of ill-fame, “nanny-shop.”
Bouiboui, bouisbouis, m. puppet; small theatre; low music-hall; gambling place.
Bouif, m. (popular), conceited “priggish” person; bad workman.
Bouillabaisse (popular), confused medley of things, people, or ideas. Properly a Provençal dish made up of all kinds of fish boiled together, with spicy seasoning, garlic, &c.
Bouillante, f. (soldiers’), soup.
Bouillie, f. (popular), pour les chats, unsuccessful undertaking. Faire de la—— pour les chats, to do any useless thing.
Bouillon, m. (familiar and popular), rain; unsold numbers of a book or newspaper; financial or business losses; —— aveugle, thin broth; —— de canard, water; —— de veau, mild literature; —— d’onze heures, poison; drowning; —— gras, sulphuric acid (an allusion to a case of vitriol-throwing by a woman named Gras); —— pointu, bayonet thrust; clyster; —— qui chauffe, rain-cloud. Boire le——, to die. (Fishermens’) Bouillon de harengs, shoal of herrings.
Bouillonner (popular), to suffer pecuniary losses consequent on the failure of an undertaking; to have a bad sale; to eat at a bouillon restaurant.
Bouillonneuse, f., female who prepares bouillon at restaurants.
Bouillote, f. (popular), vieille——, old fool, “doddering old sheep’s head.”
Bouis, m. (thieves’), whip.
Bouiser, to whip, “to flush.”
Boulage, m. (popular), refusal; snub.
Boulange, f., for boulangerie.
Boulanger, m. (thieves’), charcoal dealer; the devil, “old scratch,” or “Ruffin.” Le—— qui met les damnés au four, the devil. Remercier son——, to die.
Boulangers, m. pl. (military), formerly military convicts (an allusion to their light-coloured vestments).
Boule, f. (popular), head, “block.” Avoir la—— détraquée, à l’envers, to be crazy, “wrong in the upper storey.” Boule de jardin, bald pate, “bladder of lard;” —— de Siam, grotesque head; —— de singe, ugly face. Bonne——, queer face, “rum phiz.” Perdre la——, to lose one’s head. Boule de neige, negro; —— rouge, gay girl of the Quartier de la Boule Rouge, Faubourg Montmartre. Yeux en—— de loto, goggle eyes. (Military) Boule de son, loaf, bread. (Thieves’) Boule, a fair; prison loaf; —— de son étamé, white bread; —— jaune, pumpkin.
Bouleau, m. See Bûcherie.
Boule-Miche, m., abbreviation of Boulevard Saint-Michel.
Boulendos, m. (boule en dos), (popular), humpback, or “lord.”
Bouler (popular), to thrash, “to whop;” to beat at a game, to deceive, to take in. Envoyer——, to send to the deuce (old word bouler, to roll along).
Boulet, m. (popular), bore; —— à côtes, à queue, melon; —— jaune, pumpkin.
Boulette, f. (popular), de poivrot, bunch of grapes (poivrot, slang term for drunkard).
Bouleur, m., bouleuse, f. (theatrical), actor or actress who takes the part of absentees in the performance.
Bouleux, m. (popular), skittle player.
Boulevarder, to be a frequenter of the Boulevards.
Boulevardier, m., one who frequents the Boulevards; journalist who is a frequenter of the Boulevard cafés. Esprit——, kind of wit peculiar to the Boulevardiers.
Boulevardière, f. (familiar), prostitute of a better class who walks the Boulevards.
Depuis cinq heures du soir la Boulevardière va du grand Hôtel à Brébant avec la régularité implacable d’un balancier de pendule.—Paul Mahalin.
Boulin, m. (thieves’), hole. Caler des boulins aux lourdes, to bore holes in the doors.
Bouline, f. (swindlers’), collection of money, “break,” or “lead.”
Bouliner (thieves’), to bore holes in a wall or shutters; to steal by means of the above process.
Boulinguer (thieves’), to tear; to conduct an affair; to manage. Se——, to know how to conduct oneself; to behave.
Bouloire,