In the program Historically Vôtre, Stéphane Bern goes back in time every day and tells us the story of a French word or expression.
Today, the host returns to the term "in bulk", which today has several meanings.
"In bulk".
It is a common expression in the French language, which is used as much to talk about office storage, messy business, as physical inconvenience.
But where does it come from?
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An expression of the 18th century
To understand, we have to go back to the 18th century and turn to the Dutch, who use the word WRAC, written with a W. It designates what is bad in general and in particular all the herring of bad qualities that do not deserve to be stored or packaged.
It is an inexpensive, commonly eaten fish that is displayed there in bulk.
In the north of France, where commercial ties with the Netherlands are very strong, the word gradually settled down before becoming French, and being written here with a V.
Takeover by the younger generation
The French have taken over the expression, taking up a situation where chaos reigns, when disorder has taken over, or when one is totally incapable of doing something sane and logical.
But it can also very well refer to a painful elbow, or upset bowels.
One then readily says: "I am loose".