Hello,
Here is the story of an expression known to everyone, but very often misused
spelled
On a beautiful autumn day in 1820, the Duke of Mirnouf, passionate about
hunting, but frustrated by the meager game he brought back from his
forest wanderings, imagined that it must be possible to make
a tool capable of making his task easier and his pursuit more enjoyable
animals. He summoned all the craftsmen in the region to set up
competition to make this idea a reality, and gave them two months to
to build the most inventive and efficient device. Barely a
A week later, a merchant named Martin Écouille presented himself at
castle boasting to anyone who would listen that he possessed what the duke
dreamed. He easily secured an audience with the noble lord and
hastened to demonstrate his marvel to her.Before a skeptical but curious assembly, he took a tiny whistle (a call) out of his pocket and brought it to his lips to produce a sound
A shrill sound that immediately imposed silence among those present.
a few seconds later, dozens of birds of all kinds
had approached and were swirling around him, as if drawn in and
charmed by this strange melody. The duke easily imagined the profit
what he could get out of such an accessory during his future hunts. He
cleared his throat and uttered only one sentence: How much
Will it cost me?
Martin Écouille, confident, replied that he would agree to part with
his object in exchange for half of his interlocutor's fortune…
The request made the assembly smile, but the duke remained perfectly serious.
and accepted the transaction.The news caused a great stir and quickly spread far beyond the boundaries
of the duchy. A merchant had sold a whistle for an astronomical sum
to the Duke, who paid the cost without a murmur. We no longer know today what
what happened to the merchant and the object has, alas, not survived the years, but
This anecdote has persisted in the French language to describe
Outrageously expensive items: "It costs a fortune."
Have a good day
Marylena
