French expressions France

A chicken is a policeman in French slang

The French sometimes say "les poulets" (chickens) to refer to the police. It's an old expression, not very respectful by the way, and it comes from 19th century Paris. It's a Parisian slang word that has flourished throughout France.

By Jérôme Prod'homme
Monday, November 6, 2023

Sommaire

A fire and building work

A chicken market

A fire and building work

In the 19th century, Baron Haussmann literally turned Paris upside down from top to bottom. The city was rebuilt on itself, and it was then that the narrow, dark streets inherited from the Paris of the Middle Ages disappeared. Large, open avenues were laid out and public facilities were distributed. There were plans to bring the police together in a large barracks.

The construction of the Avenue de l'Opéra. Archive images from Wikipedia.

It was all the more urgent because in 1871, during the Paris Commune, the Hôtel de Police, built 50 years earlier under Napoleon 1st, was destroyed by fire. It had to be rebuilt. What was to become the Paris Police Headquarters was built in a rather special location.

A chicken market

The façade of the Préfecture de Police. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: spech via depositphotos.com

And the place chosen to build the Paris police headquarters was the chicken market. Parisians used to sell poultry there, including (already!) pre-grilled chickens that they could take home to eat. The rebellious humour of the Parisians did the rest and turned the policemen, who passed by in large numbers in the chicken market square, into "poulets" chickens...

Jérôme Prod'homme

Jérôme Prod'homme est Monsieur de France.
Auteur et conteur du patrimoine français, il est passionné par l’histoire, la culture, les traditions et l’art de vivre en France. Depuis de nombreuses années, il écrit pour différents médias sur des sujets liés au tourisme, aux lieux chargés d’histoire, aux spécialités régionales et à la mémoire du pays.

À travers Monsieur de France, Jérôme partage des expériences vécues, des visites réelles et des découvertes authentiques. Il sillonne les régions, rencontre les habitants, échange avec les artisans, explore les marchés, les villages, les châteaux, les forêts et les vignobles. Chaque article naît d’une curiosité sincère et d’une envie de transmettre.

Son objectif n’est pas de faire un cours d’histoire, mais de faire aimer la France à ceux qui la découvrent, et à ceux qui la connaissent déjà — par le récit, par les émotions, par les anecdotes, par les parfums de cuisine et par le plaisir de la découverte. Monsieur de France est une invitation à explorer ce pays magnifique avec les yeux, le cœur et même ... L’appétit !

Jérôme Prod'homme