un pignon is both a pine tree and a small toothed gear in a mechanism (think “rack and pinion steering”).un timbre has two meanings: the quality of a sound (or the sound itself) or, a stamp applied to a paper to certify a payment (postage stamp, tax receipt, etc.) After using un cachet for a passport stamp, Simenon uses timbre for the sound of a bell.Not sure how that ties in with the other meanings. Un cachet can mean a fee for a private lesson, or an appearance fee for a public performer or speaker. But there’s one more meaning which I don’t understand. All of these derive from the common sense of “to stamp” or “to press”– pills are powder pressed into a form, seals are embossed marks pressed into a document. And the first meaning I learned for this word in school was “pill” or “tablet”. But it can also mean stylistic originality (which is the meaning of the appropriated word in English). That’s how Simenon uses it here ( «les pages étaient couvertes de cachets et de visas»). It can be a stamp or a seal placed upon a document.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |