Thursday, March 21, 2013

VERY FAMILIAR

A suprising wine label for this inexpensive bottle of Syrah from the Pays d'Oc in the Languedoc-Roussillon. "Copains comme cochons" (literally pals like pigs) is a term used familiarly for friendship and  translates as "thick as thieves." It dates to the 16th century when the expression was "camarades comme cochons."  Cochon, or pig, was a deformation of the word "soçon" which in old French meant companion. Camarades was eventually replaced by copains, which itself is an alteration of the old French word compain which meant he who shares the same bread.


Vocabulary
un cochon:  a pig
un copain, une copine:  a pal, a friend
partager:  to share


©2013 P.B. Lecron

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