Slang

[vardathemessage]

script:

EXTREME CLOSE-UP of Jack opening a small compact. Zoom into mirror where three waiters are reflected.

CLOSE ON their mouths, each whispering a word in turn:
WAITERS
Maricon, épicène, sexe douteux. . .

Suddenly Jack glances up.

ZOOM IN to a small balcony as where the Businessman stands looking over.

Jack looks up, closing his compact and standing.
 
Everyone in the lavishly decorated nineteenth-century hotel lobby stares as Jack walks proudly across the room.
 
A Gentleman in the foreground turns to camera and confides:
 
GENTLEMAN
Le Vice Anglais...


There's a word for it in every language... Of course these are all foreign expressions meaning homosexual. In contrast to the many colorful British words we've heard, this shows the circles that Jack Fairy moves in are more refined and continental and yet they all - from the waiters who have seen it all, to the businessmen and gentlemen - recognize and abhor his type.

Maricon is Spanish for faggot.

épicène while seemingly French (it refers to the gender of nouns in that language) in English describes a person or thing that has the characteristics of both the male and the female, as well as meaning effeminate, or even neuter.

Sexe douteux (literally uncertain sex) is French for homosexual.

Todd's influence is probably from Richard Ellmann's Oscar Wilde [Before his marriage] "Punch had recently called him a 'Mary-Ann', Bodley had spoken of him in The New York Times as 'epicene', and if Wilde could not have yet read the entry in [the French publisher] Goncourt's 1883 Journal picturing him as 'au sexe douteux', he could guess that others took this view."


And Le Vice Anglais (the English Vice) here means homosexuality because the cliché goes all French men think the English are fags. It's interesting to remember in our permissible time that the notion of vice – an evil degrading or immoral practice or habit; a moral failing – is almost nonexistent. The more current meaning of Le Vice Anglais is having a taste for a good whipping, because, well, a British schoolboy's tender introduction to public school would leave a dramatic impression.

Comments

[happytogoblind.livejournal.com]

In contrast to the many colorful British words we've heard, this shows the circles that Jack Fairy moves in are more refined and continental and yet they all - from the waiters who have seen it all, to the businessmen and gentlemen - recognize and abhor his type.



that's really interesting

[vardathemessage.livejournal.com]

Danke, Liebling.

Not to do with VG but quite amusing anyway

[handrejka.livejournal.com]

That reminds me. Before going to Germany on our year abroad our lecturer warned that if we wanted to earn some money by private tuition that was fine, but whatever we did we shouldn't advertise that we were giving "English Lessons" as we'd be inundated with people thinking we were dominatrixes.

Re: Not to do with VG but quite amusing anyway

[vardathemessage.livejournal.com]

That's very funny and rather proof that these clichés are true.

[(Anonymous)]

I've heard that "le vice anglais" refers to transvestitism, due to the tradition of having boys play both male and female roles in plays at boarding schools. It was on, I think, Eddie Izzard's commentary track for Dress to Circle (he talks about the difficulty of translating his act into French). There's probably several different accurate versions of the term...

[vardathemessage.livejournal.com]

Very interesting, that's one I was not familiar with. Ain't etymology grand?