VS’is a decision that is likely to make some people cringe and many others laugh. The 2023 edition of Larousse, due out on June 15, includes 150 new words, including a Savoyard expression, “monchû”, spotted by France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. A word used to designate the unscrupulous tourists and lesson givers who abound in the ski resorts of the region.
But what is a “monchû” exactly? According to the new edition of Larousse, he is a “vacationer in search of fresh air (Parisian, in particular), who stays in the Alps and whose awkwardness, attire, even ignorance of the local uses”. This mixture of French, Italian and local patois originally designated a wealthy city dweller. From now on, it is mainly used to make fun of Parisian tourists who think they know everything about the mountains, but very quickly find themselves in difficulty once on the slopes.
Integration of several other local words
But “monchû” is not the only mocking word that will integrate the dictionary. We can, for example, raise the “baignassoute”, a tourist who comes to spend his money on the Atlantic coast, the “horsain”, vacationer who basks in Normandy or the “pinzutu”, a Frenchman (often a Parisian) which benefits from the Corsican sun during the summer. In addition to this patois, the vocabulary linked to Covid-19 is also making a strong entry into Larousse with in particular “Covid long”, “sanitary pass” and “vaccinodrome”.
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