RULE OF THUMB

Twelve meters high and 18 tons of bronze thumb on the Esplanade of La Défense. This colossal version of Le Pouce (The Thumb) sculpted by César (César Baldaccini, 1921-1988), is more imposing than aesthetic. The original sculpture, an enlargement of a mold of the artist's own thumb, was cast in 1965 and measured 1,85 meters. A 6 meter-high version was created for the 1988 summer Olympics in Seuol, South Korea. The massive thumb at La Défense was put in place in 1994.

Expressions
faire tâche:  to stick out like a sore thumb
faire du pouce:  to thumb a ride; to hitchhike
avoir deux mains gauches:  to be all thumbs
en règle générale:  as a rule of thumb
une signe d'approbation:  thumbs up
un coup de pouce:  a help, an aid
sur le pouce:  in a rapid manner
manger sur le pouce:  to grab a bite to eat; to have a quick snack


©2012 P.B. Lecron

MUM'S THE WORD

The less said about the local tradition that turns around this statue (and its nickname) the better. Carved in wood, l'Homme sur Sa Bouée (1993) seemingly floats in the canal on the Quai Bélu in Amiens. It is one of three of a series of oak sculptures in the Quartier Saint-Leu carved by German artist Stephan Balkenhol. This once dangerous but now refurbished and picturesque neighborhood is the  "QG" of Amiens students who regularly see to the statue's wardrobe, sometimes dressing it in a sweater, other times less gloriously.

Vocabulary
la bouée:  the mud
bois:  wood
chêne:  oak
QG:  for quartier général, general headquarters
une garde-robe:  a dressing room, but by extension also means one's clothes and accessories

©2012 P.B. Lecron