Sometimes in stories about Paris slips the unusual word "clochard" (clochard). However, it is difficult to understand what it means from the name. This article gives an interpretation of the word and considers the possible reasons for its origin.
Meaning of the word
Clochard is a vagabond, a beggar without a fixed residence in France, mainly in Paris. He is lonely due to a tendency to desocialize. Is a victim of circumstances and the inability to find work, often seeks solace in alcohol. Currently, the word is considered outdated, politically incorrect and perceived as an insult.
Clochards are a special layer of the urban population, sleeping on benches, in parks, under bridges, and just anywhere. How old is Paris, how many clochards exist in it, personifying the backstage of the brilliant capital of fashion. They have repeatedly appeared on the pages of French literary classics. In particular, Victor Hugo's famous novels Les Misérables and Notre Dame Cathedral were written about such people. In them, the clochard is an unfairly deprived character who hopes for a better life, but never gets it and is therefore doomed tosuffering.
Origin of the word
There are two hypotheses explaining the origin of the French word "clochard". According to one of them, the verb clocher, which appeared in French approximately at the beginning of the 12th century, comes from the Latin cloppicare, meaning "to limp, to walk, dragging a paw." The word clocard itself and the verb clocharder only entered written French in the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the expression aller à cloche-pied appeared, which in translation into Russian sounds like “jumping on one leg”, and figuratively means “to be a poor, inferior, excluded person from life.”
The second hypothesis looks less plausible, since it links the term clochard with the word cloche (bell), borrowed from the Latin clocca. A possible explanation for the theory dates back to the time when beggars were offered to ring bells for money.
Interesting facts about clochards
Several years ago, a story spread on the Internet about clochard Pierre Leber from the city of Port-Vendres, who made himself a bed from a concert grand piano found in a city dump. With the help of friends, he moved the tool to his home, dismantled it, covered the vacated space with old blankets and received the so-called king bed, which became the best find in his life and a source of immense pride.
