[PW] French idiom?

[John P. Dyson]

This is the French equivalent of spending a dollar to save a dime: it's
a bad bargain. The alliteration of the saying in English is matched in
the French by the catchy internal rhyme of bœuf/œuf (boeuf/oeuf, in
case the ligatures don't appear correctly). The notoriety of French
legal chicanery with regard to dispute resolution was widespread until
well after the changes of the Counter-Reformation were instituted.

John Dyson
Spanish and Portuguese
Indiana University




Quoting Dennis Giszczak <Giszczad at cooley.edu>:

> I have run into a French idiom (in translation) that has me puzzled.
> The book was published about 1667; in the dedication to the King
> (Louis XIV), the author writes:
>
> "Your Majesty should be aware that the Flemish and other foreigners,
> even the peasantry, are persuaded that chicanery is the worst of all
> France's evils, and if they become Your Majesty's subjects, they will
> have to eat an ox to save an egg."
>
> I'm looking at the last phrase of this and wondering what it means.
> I've tried searching several online sources of idioms and sayings,
> and found nothing.  Any ideas?
>
> (Source: L'arbitre charitable, par le Prieur de Saint Pierre. First
> published 1666; this dedication from 2nd-4th editions. Translated by
> Derek Roebuck.)
> Thanks for any help!
>
> Dennis
>
>
> Dennis Giszczak
> Cataloger
> Thomas M. Cooley Law School--Brennan Library
> Lansing, Mich.
> giszczad at cooley.edu
>
>
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