Some years ago, basking in the success of ARGOTOPOLIS, his depiction of London in slang terms, to which I had contributed the slang lists that it embodies, the artist-cartographer Adam Dant suggested that we try again, this time for Paris. The result, which appeared in 2020, was L’EscARGOT Parisienne. (Quite why M. L’Escargot - as he is undoubtedly depicted below - should turn female, defeats me. One might argue that he morphs into une baguette, but I stand aside. Today, I confess, is the first time I have noticed. No matter. Today is Bastille Day, and I am in the city whose enfants gave us the patrie’s anthem and let us tip le chapeau.
Purchasable prints can be found here: https://www.tagfinearts.com/artists/adam-dant/paris-l-escargot/
*There remains, I have little doubt, no more than a fast-diminishing list of those whose Fifties’ upbringings included the Eagle comic and within, the adventures of the sub-Beau Geste Luck of the Legion. It was, the radio version of Beau Geste aside, among my first brushes with France and, slang-orientated even then, I noted Serjeant Luck (nickname ‘Tough’) and his pals had a nice line in swears, usually retailed by the Italian legionnaire Bimberg. Zut! no doubt, and definitely Sapristi! but the more elaborate were what stuck. Nom d’un nom d’un sacré cochon noir! It is of such moments that our lives are made.**
**If I have shamefully confused this with another formative and francophiliac encounter, please don’t hold back from telling me so.
