On Thu, 5 Sep 1996, Martin Howley wrote:
> John,
> You are right to suspect that the use of the term 'fiacre' for a cab is
> derived from a place-name. It is named after the Hotel St-Fiacre in Paris
> which was a prominent landmark close to the rue St-Martin, the first place
> to make coaches for hire. This was in the seventeenth century.
> Martin Howley,
> Humanities Librarian
> Memorial University of Newfoundland
>
> On Thu, 5 Sep 1996, John Carmi Parsons wrote:
>
> > Regarding the feast of St Fiacre--the French word "fiacre" came to refer (by
> > the 18th century anyway) to a type of carriage that was often run for hire
> > in Paris. This might well explain the taxi driver connection. Given the
> > Gallic proclivity for naming objects for a pseudo-place of origin (e.g., any
> > dish of food conspicuously containing carrots is properly called "a la Crecy"
> > because Crecy is as well-known for its carrots as for Edward III's victory),
> > it's possible that this type of carriage originated, or was manufactured, at
> > St-Fiacre-en-Brie.
> > Nailing this down would naturally take some research though. Are
> > there any details in Fiacre's vita or legend (with which I am utterly
> > unfamiliar) that would possibly connect with a journey by cart or carriage?
> > John Parsons
> >
>Bene notatum. This of course now poses the question how the Hotel St-Fiacre
in Paris got ITS name! Was it built on the site of a lost religious house
dedicated to Fiacre? Was this in a part of Paris somehow particularly
associated with him? Did St Fiacre once sleep here? Endless
possibilities. . . . JCP
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|