Moitié, f. (popular), tu n’es pas la —— d’une bête, you are no fool.
Oui, t’es pas la moitié d’une bête. Là-dessus aboule tes quatre ronds.—G. Courteline.
Molanche, f. (thieves’), wool. From mol, soft.
Molard, m. (familiar and popular), expectoration, or “gob.”
Molarder (familiar and popular), to expectorate.
Molière, m. (theatrical), scenery which may be used for the performance of any play of Molière.
Molle, adj. (popular and thieves’), être ——, to be penniless, alluding to an empty pocket, which is flabby; “to be hard up.”
Mollet, m. (popular). M. Charles Nisard, in his Parisianismes Populaires, says of the word, “Gras de la partie postérieure de la jambe” (the proper meaning), and he adds, “Partie molle de diverses autres choses.”
Vous ne cachez pas tous vos mollets dans vos bas: c’est comme la barque d’Anières, ça n’sart plus qu’à passer l’iau.—Le Déjeuner de la Rapée.
Following the adage, “Le latin dans les mots brave l’honnêteté,” M. Nisard gives the following explanation of the above:—“Hæc sunt verba cujusdam petulantis mulierculæ ad quemdam jam senescentem virum, convalescentem e morbo, et carnale opus adhuc penes se esse male jactantem. In eo enim Thrasone mulieroso pars ista corporis quam proprie vocant ‘Mollet,’ non solum in tibialibus ejus inclusa erat, sed et in bracis, ubi, mutata ex toto forma, nil valebat nisi, scaphæ Asnieriæ instar, ‘à passer l’eau,’ id est, ad meiendum. Sed, animadvertas, oro, sensum locutionis ‘passer l’eau’ æquivocum; hic enim unda transitur, illic eadem transit.”