Argot and Slang. Albert Barrere
à dix heures.—Boutmy.
Brobèche, m. (popular), centime.
Brobuante, f. (thieves’), ring, “fawney.”
Broc, m. (thieves’), farthing, or “fadge.”
Brocante, m. (popular), old shoe.
Brocanter (familiar), to be pottering about.
Broche, f. (tradespeoples’), note of hand, or “stiff.”
Broches, f. pl. (popular), teeth, or “head rails.”
Brochet, m. (popular), pit of the stomach, for bréchet; women’s bully, or “ponce.”
Brocheton, m. (popular), young bully.
Brochure, f. (theatrical), printed play.
Brodage, m. (thieves’), writing.
Brodancher (thieves’), to write; to embroider. Tirants brodanchés, embroidered stockings.
Brodancheur, m. (thieves’), writer; —— en cage, scribe who for a consideration will undertake to do an illiterate person’s correspondence (termed écrivain public); —— à la plaque, aux macarons, or à la cymbale, notary public (an allusion to the escutcheon placed over a notary’s door).
Brodé, m. (thieves’), melon.
Broder (thieves’), to write; —— sur les prêts is said of a gamester who, having lent a colleague a small sum of money, claims a larger amount than is due to him.
Broderie, f. (thieves’), writing.
Pas de broderie, par exemple, tu connais le proverbe, les écrits sont des mâles, et les paroles sont des femelles.—Vidocq, Mémoires.
Brodeur, m. (thieves’), writer; also a gamester who claims a larger sum than is due to him.
Broque, m. (thieves’), farthing. Il n’y a ni ronds, ni herplis, ni broque en ma felouse. I haven’t got a sou, or a farthing, in my pocket.
Broquillage, m. (thieves’), theft which consists in substituting paste diamonds for the genuine article which a jeweller displays for the supposed purchaser’s inspection.
Broquille, f. (theatrical), nothing. Used in the expression, Ne pas dire une——, not to know a single word of one’s part; (thieves’) a ring, or “fawney;” a minute.
Broquilleur, m., broquilleuse, f. (thieves’), thief who robs jewellers by substituting paste diamonds for the genuine which are shown to him as to a bonâ-fide purchaser.
Brosse (popular), no; nothing; —— pour lui! he shan’t have any!
Brosser (familiar), se—— le ventre, to go without food, and, in a figurative sense, to be compelled to do without something.
Brosseur, m. (artists’), one who paints numerous pictures of very large dimensions. Rubens was a “brosseur;” (military) flatterer, one who “sucks up.”
Brouce, f. (popular), thrashing, “whopping.”
Brouf, m. (codfishers’), wind blowing from the main.
Brouillard, m. (popular), chasser le——, to have a morning drop of spirits, “dewdrop.” Etre dans le——, to be “fuddled,” or tipsy. Faire du——, to smoke, “to blow a cloud.”
Brouille, f., series of pettifogging contrivances which a lawyer brings into play to squeeze as much profit as he can out of a law affair.
Brouillé, adj. (familiar), avec la monnaie, penniless, “hard up;” —— avec sa blanchisseuse, with linen not altogether of a snow-white appearance; —— avec l’orthographe, a bad speller.
Broussailles, f. pl. (popular), être dans les——, to be tipsy, “obfuscated.” See Pompette.
Brouta, m. (Saint-Cyr school), speech. From the name of a professor who was a good elocutionist.
Broute, f. (popular), bread, “tommy.”
Brouter (popular), to eat, “to grub.” The expression is used by Villon, and is scarcely slang.
Item, à Jean Raguyer, je donne …
Tous les jours une talemouze (cake),
Pour brouter et fourrer sa mouse.
Brouteur sombre, m. (popular), desponding, melancholy man, “croaker.”
Broyeur de noir en chambre (familiar), literary man who writes on melancholy themes.
Bruant (Breton), cock; egg.
Bruantez (Breton), hen.
Bruge, m. (thieves’), locksmith.
Brugerie, f., locksmith’s shop.
Brûlage, m. (familiar), the act of being ruined, “going to smash.”
Brûlant, m. (thieves’), fire; hearth.
Brûlé, m. and adj. (popular), failure of an undertaking; (familiar) Il doit de l’argent partout il est—— dans le pays, he owes money to everybody, his credit is gone. C’est un article——, an article which will no longer sell. L’épicier est——, the grocer refuses any more credit. Un politicien——, a politician whose influence is gone. Un auteur——, an author who has spent himself, no longer in vogue. Une fille brûlée, a girl who in spite of assiduous attendance at balls, &c., has failed to obtain a husband. Une affaire brûlée, an unsuccessful undertaking, or spoilt by bad management. Un acteur——, an actor who for some reason or other can no longer find favour with the public.
Brûlée, f. (popular), severe thrashing; defeat; hurried and unlawful auction for contracts.
Brûler (theatrical), à la rampe is said of an actor who performs as if he were alone, and without regard to the common success of the play, or his colleagues; —— du sucre, to obtain applause. (Popular) Brûler, abbreviation of brûler la cervelle, to blow one’s brains out. Fais le mort ou je te brûle, don’t budge, or I blow your brains out. En—— une, to smoke, “to blow a cloud.” (Thieves’) Brûler le pégriot, to obliterate all traces of a theft or crime. Ne—— rien, to suspect nothing.
Brûleur, m. (theatrical), de planches, spirited actor.
Brusquer (gamesters’), la marque, to mark more points than have been scored, when playing cards.
Brutal, m. (familiar), cannon.
Brutifier (popular), to make one stupid by dint of upbraiding or badgering him.
Brution,