“To God I speak Spanish, to women Italian, to men French, and to my horse – German.”
Emperor Charles V
To my wife I speak (bad) Russian, to my cat German and to my pétanque colleagues I speak body language and Petanlingo, a mixture of colorful French words and their approximate English equivalent.
Because you cannot possibly play pétanque in America without using that language.
The game having its roots in France employs words and images that are often difficult to translate and you have therefore to use the original words to make yourself clearly understood.
For instance, the word “carreau” (tile/pane/window) has no real equivalent in English and it would be ludicrous to use any other word to refer to that feat.
A “biberon” (a nursing bottle) is when the boule hugs or is “nursing” the cochonnet.
Again, it would be ridiculous to use any other English word to describe this action.
Kissing Fanny by the way is not a reward but a humiliation for the players who lost a game without scoring a single point. Originally, the losers had to kiss the buttocks of a waitress named Fanny.
But “Kissing Fanny” in my opinion sounds much classier than “kiss my ass”.
I like the expression “Tirer aux papillons” (shooting butterflies) meaning poor, erratic shooting.
So during a game, you have to constantly switch from French to English and vice-versa to communicate with your partners.
That’s why anybody playing petanque in America needs to speak Petanlingo.
It is also why I urge parents to send their kids to play pétanque instead of playing football.
On a pétanque field, your kid will improve his/her French vocabulary, will learn how to count and won’t get physically hurt. Unlike football, only his self-esteem could take a beating, but it is seldom permanent.
So, to be a respected player in America you must learn Petanlingo. No ifs or buts.
Alain
PS: For a modest fee, I will teach you all the intricacies of Petanlingo.