Did you know ? The expression “to pay a blow” comes from Toulouse
The expression “pay a shot to drink” has returned to everyday language. If today it means “to buy someone a drink”, it has not always been used for this purpose. And just like the expression “the deal is in the bag”, the origin of this formula is linked to the heritage history of Toulouse, and in particular Pastel.
Pastel is an integral part of Toulouse’s heritage. It is also thanks to him that the great merchants of the pink city have built their wealth. A surprising anecdote is attached to thehistory of Toulouse Pastel. Contacted by The Independent Opinionthe tourist and linguistic services agency based in Toulouse Paysdoc.comreveals an unconventional method of pastel.
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A history of urine…
Between the 15th and 16th centuries, to ferment the plant from which pastel comes, one ingredient was essential: ammonia. For good reason, it is useful for fixing the color. This substance is found naturally in…human urine. To enable the production of pastel, the master dyers paid local residents to come and urinate in the vats where the leaves macerated.
“We told them that we paid them a” cop “, that is to say a cup to drink, to encourage the volunteers to urinate and thus recover a maximum of”, indicates Claire, guide speaker at the agency. Paydoc.com.
Thus, the expression “to pay a shot to drink” would come directly from the Occitan formulation, “To pay a cop”. Claire from Paydoc.com, adds: “Located in rue Malcousinat in Toulouse, the famous Boysson-Cheverry private mansion, bought by the pastel merchant Jean Cheverry, stored the various famous cops in its courtyard, where the restaurant is currently located” .
A proverb related to pastel
But that’s not all ! Another anecdote is linked to the history of Toulouse, land of Pastel. The small cocagnes from which comes the pastel color, gave their name to the Land of Plenty, where the plant was grown. This is also what gave the origin of the proverb “In the land of plenty, the more you sleep, the more you earn”. The manager of Stéphane Grunfogel explains: “when we made pastel, we had to wait for it to settle to extract the juice of the plant”. The expression thus means that the pasteliers got rich even when they were not working.
>> READ ALSO: Did you know? The expression “the deal is in the bag” originates from Toulouse