Salé, m. (printers’), wages paid in advance, or “dead horse.” Morceau de ——, part payment of debt. Demander du —— à la banque, to ask for an advance on wages. Le grand ——, the sea, or “briny.”
Saler (popular), to scold, “to haul over the coals;” —— quelqu’un, to charge too much, to make one “pay through the nose,” or “to shave” him. C’est un peu salé is said of an extravagant bill.
Salière, f. (popular), répandre la —— dessus, to charge too much, “to shave.” Montrer ses salières is said of a woman with thin breasts who wears low dresses. Elle a deux salières et cinq plats is said of a woman with skinny breasts. A play on the words “seins plats,” flat bosoms.
Salin, m. (thieves’), yellow.
Salir, or solir (thieves’), to sell. A corruption of saler, to charge too much. (Popular) Se —— le nez, to get drunk. See [Sculpter].
Saliverne, or salivergne (old cant), cup; plate; platter, or “skew,” in English beggars’ and Scottish gipsies’ lingo. Rabelais uses the word salverne with the signification of cup. When Pantagruel and Panurge pay a visit to “l’oracle de la Bouteille,” they found:—
Le trophée d’un buveur bien mignonnement insculpé: sçavoir est ... bourraches, bouteilles, fioles, ferrières, barils, barreaulx, bomides, pots ... en aultre, cent formes de verre à pied ... hanaps, breusses, jadeaulx, salvernes.—Pantagruel.
Salverne, from the Spanish salva. Saliverne nowadays signifies salad.
Salle, f. (theatrical), de papier, a playhouse full of people with free tickets. (Saumur school of cavalry) La —— Cambronne, the W.C. Alluding to General Cambronne’s more than energetic alleged reply at Waterloo when called upon to surrender. (Popular) Salle à manger, mouth. N’avoir plus de chaises dans sa —— à manger, to be toothless. (Bullies’) Salle de danse, the behind. Thus termed because they think it is the proper object on which to exercise one’s feet.
Salonnier, m. (familiar), art critic who reviews the art exhibition.