En réponse à Raymond Brown <ray.brown@...>:
>
> The English word BTW is rarely - if ever, nowadays - used litterally
> of
> 'tickling', but - just as the Latin could be - metaphorically of
> something
> arousing or 'tickling' one's desires.
>
It's also one of the meanings in French.
> Indeed, until your recent emails I had known only 'chatouiller' (to
> tickle)
> in French. It's the only word my grandsons use; I've never heard them
> use
> 'titiller'.
>
Actually, "chatouiller" and "titiller" are two different things. "Titiller" is
not really "to tickle". "Titiller" you can do for instance using a feather on
the nose of somebody's sleeping. More annoying than tickling in my
opinion. "titiller" has a connotation of annoyance, or restlessness in the
metaphorical meaning.
> >Strange, I thought it
> >was more an argot formation...
>
> Nope - strictly learned :)
>
Well, then it was debased, because nowadays it's absolutely no learned word!
You'll never hear it in the mouth of a scholar!
>
> According to Harrap's English-French/ French-English dictionary, it's:
> "ne réveillez pas le chat qui dort"
>
That's the one!
> ...which sounds a bit feeble, unless French cats are particularly fierce
> ;)
>
Have you ever woken up a sleeping cat? Don't do that without your body covered
completely with 20cm of clothing! :))
Christophe.
http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr
Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.