18. Deux Décembre. The date (December 2, 1851) on which Louis Napoleon executed his coup d'état, by which he was elected President for ten years. There was a Parisian uprising against this act, but he put this down and in the following year he became Emperor with the title of Napoleon III (1808-1873).
19. P'pa, et le p'tit Noël... y mettra-ti' tet' chose. For Papa, etc. ...y mettra-t-il quelque chose. See also note to p. 77, l. 32.
[184.]--1. blond albinos. Modified adjectives of color are usually invariable.
[185.]--20. conquêtes de 89. The French Revolution began in 1789.
27. l'air d'un marié du samedi. The working people are often married on Saturday.
29. République parlementaire. A Republic has been proclaimed three times in France: the first lasted from 1792 until Napoleon I became Emperor in 1804; the second extended from the fall of King Louis Philippe in 1848 until the coup d'état of 1851; the third and present Republic was proclaimed on September 4, 1870 (the allusion in the text is to the last).
[186.]--14. au château. That is, au château du Louvre, the former residence of the French kings.
23. Port' siou p'ait. (Ouvrez la) porte s'il vous plaît.
[187.]--12. sur les fortifications. The reference is to the walls around Paris, formerly used as fortifications; the type of the quarter is described in the text.
[191.]--19. ayez pas peur. The popular omission of ne has already been noted (note to p. 64, l. 19), as well as the other popular phrases which follow.