Minute, papillon!
A Scarce Swallowtail or in French, le Flambé, poses on a cherry blossom in good friend Sylvia's garden in the south of France. Sylvia's photo brings to mind the French expression
"Minute, Papillon!" Although the origin of the term is not settled, it is contended that during WWII journalists from the Canard Enchaîné popularized the phrase. The story goes that they frequented a café next to their offices where a waiter named Papillon worked. Whenever they called out for him, he would respond, "Minute, j'arrive." Human nature being what it is, they nicknamed him Minute Papillon. Another possibility is that the term has been handed down over generations as a request for patience--to think before acting, in reference to the fact that a butterfly flits about and never settles on any one spot for a long time.
Vocabulary
un papillon: a butterfly
une minute: a minute
©2020 P. B. Lecron
