Word of the Week…en Français

être sur le billochet /eh-tre/ /sur/ /leh/ /bee-yo-shay/ (phrase)

This phrase was recorded by the late eminent Ontario folklorist Father Germain Lemieux to mean effectively ‘to be on the log-stool.’ It refers to a section of log (le billochet) on which an ‘official’ logging camp storyteller (jongleur) would sit to tell stories. The word ‘jongleur’ is used in a medieval sense to mean entertainer or teller of tales. ‘Le Billochet du jongleur’ is an annual prize awarded by the Centre Frano-Ontarien de folklore to an individual or organization for their contributions to Franco-Ontarien culture. Source: Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America and Centre franco-ontarien de folklore and with thanks to Jeannine Ouellette.