La petite a beau avoir de la dentelle, elle n’en verra pas moins la lune par le même trou que les autres.—Zola, L’Assommoir.
Luné, adj. (popular), bien ——, in a good humour, well disposed.
Lunette, f. (popular), d’approche, guillotine. Passer en ——, to take in, “to do;” to harm. Etre passé en ——, to fail in business. Les lunettes, posteriors, or “cheeks.” (Popular) Lunettes, small fry. Je vais à la chasse aux ——, I am going to fish for small fry.
Luque, f. (thieves’ and mendicants’), certificate; false certificate, or false begging petition, “fakement;” passport; picture. Je sais bien aquiger les luques, I know well how to forge a certificate, or to make up pictures. Porte ——, pocket-book, or “dummy.” It seems probable that the term “une luque,” a picture, is derived from Saint-Luc, who formed the subject of the pictures used formerly by mendicants to ingratiate themselves with monks and nuns, as mentioned by Le Jargon de l’Argot.
Luquet, m. (thieves’ and mendicants’), forged certificate, or false begging petition, “fakement.”
Luron, m. (thieves’), avaler le ——, to partake of communion. The term was probably, in the origin, “le rond,” corrupted into its present form (Michel).
Lusignante, f. (popular), mistress, or “moll.”
Lusquin, m. (thieves’), charcoal.
Lusquines, f. pl. (thieves’), ashes.
Lustre, m. (thieves’), judge, or “beak.” (Theatrical) Chevaliers du ——, men who are paid to applaud at a theatre. Termed also “romains.” The staff of romains is termed “claque.”