C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque “Fagonia” is a genus of flowering plants in the Zygophyllaceae family. And I’ll bet that’s what you thought of first when you saw this sign, right? David Jaggard Have you seen a ridiculous sign … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Submitted by reader Margie Rubin And drink from the cup of empirical knowledge, I presume. Or maybe this is just a hunch counter. David Jaggard Have you seen a ridiculous sign in Paris? Or … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Photo by Michael Goodwin, submitted by Jordan Grossi Yes, the word “dong” is a rather childish and mildly obscene anatomical term in American English, but it’s also, by sheer coincidence, a common word in … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Spotted by reader Daniela Bak Thanks to the widespread success and even widerspread renown of a certain American women’s wear retailer known for its titillating (and some would say asinine) catalogs, the English word … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque This week’s regrettable use of English on a French shop sign is not the name of the business (thankfully) but rather one of its products — the featured flavor at an ice cream parlor … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Yes, we know — it’s a bird. A cute, fluffy little bird. But still, this is a terrible name for a children’s store. Why not Tom Thumb? Tom Boy, Tom Cat, Tom-Tom… Even Tom … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Bayonne is a beautiful town. The narrow streets with their centuries-old buildings, the cathedral with its peaceful cloister, the shops with their tragicomically ill-advised names… In French, it would be pronounced to rhyme with … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Spotted by reader Emily Ruck Keene. It’s a homies invasion! Demonstrating the ongoing, if ill-advised, appeal of American slang, stores are cropping up around Paris with a name that was originally associated with … Read More
C’est Ironique Sign of the Weeque Spotted by reader Mary Beth Dietrick I have decided this week to suspend my usual policy of making fun of bad English on French shop signs and, in the name of equality, make fun … Read More
Yes, it stinks. On the opposite sides of both the Seine and the curatorial value spectrum from the Louvre is the Musée des Egouts de Paris – the Paris Sewer Museum. The display space is part of the city’s actual … Read More
