Who was Cherchy-la-Femme?

RickF

A turtle in the cartoon strip "Pogo Possum", drawn by Walt Kelly. Jan 13 05, 10:18 AM

dman57

Not who but what! The phrase "cherchez la femme" is a cliche of sorts coined by Alexandre Dumas circa 1860. It is "to look for the woman" or "to find a woman as a sexual partner". "Cherchez" means "to look for (the) woman" not a woman specifically. "La Femme" is "the woman". In terms today we may say it as "a one night stand". Refering to a male seeking a woman for sexual needs. It is merely a phrase up for interpretation. Jan 13 05, 10:24 AM

Baloo55th

I would dispute that interpretation. It is usually used to indicate the presence of a female in a situation that has gone wrong, not necessarily meaning anything to do with actual sex, and definitely not a one-night-stand. cherchez la femme Fr., lit. "seek the woman," on the notion that a woman is the cause for whatever crime has been committed, first used by Alexandre Dumas père in "Les Mohicans de Paris" (1864) in the form cherchons la femme. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=c&p=10 Jan 13 05, 10:44 AM

RickF

Sorry dman57, but you are wrong on two counts. 1. Look at the spelling in the question - Cherchy, not cherchez. That was the cartoon turtle. 2. The original interpretation of what Dumas wrote in "The Mohicans of Paris" (1855) is that a mystery will be understood when the involvement of a woman can be shown. Only later did it come to mean "seeking a woman for sexual needs" Jan 13 05, 10:49 AM

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