IN BED, Albertine asked, “Do you know where the word camouflage comes from, my sweet?”
I said, “No, ma petite. I confess that I do not, but I imagine that you are going to tell me that it comes from the name of one of your countrymen, a Capitaine Camouffe who dressed in leafy green and woodsy brown so that he could hide in the trees and bushes when Napoleon was looking for volunteers to lead the Russian campaign.”
“How did you know?”
“Just guessed.”
“But seriously, mon petit pierrot, it is a strange word, I think, probably derived from camouflet, which is an underground explosion — ”
“Really? You’re not kidding?”
“No.”
“Underground?”
“Yes, and it gets better. A camouflet is an underground explosion not visible on the surface — ”
“Perfect!”
“But wait, there’s more. The use of camouflet for an underground explosion not visible on the surface is figurative. It literally means a puff of smoke intentionally blown in someone’s face as a practical joke.”
“This happens so often in France that they needed a word for it?”
“Apparently.”
“Amazing.”
[to be continued]
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