2023-11-07 08:02:36
To get up to date, you can count on 20 Minutes. It’s been a while since we gave you the origin of a term adopted by the youngest, but today, we are looking at the roots of the word “michto”.
What is a mishto?
If your teenagers call their mother-in-law “michto”, it may be because you have chosen your new partner poorly. It may in fact be that it is not your beautiful eyes that attract him, but your bank account. The mishto is the woman who hits you in the wallet, who is more interested in your big car than in your natural charm (however irresistible, far be it from us to deny it). But where does this word come from? Two hypotheses clash.
The “whodunit” hypothesis
A possible origin is found in… mafia slang. “Michetonneuse” would be derived from “micheton”, namely the client of a prostitute. This term would have had its heyday in underworld and police circles between the end of the 19th century and the 1950s. A word worthy of a Michel Audiard screenplay? Precisely, since “micheton” descends from the first name “Michel”, very common at the time when the term appeared.
The Romani hypothesis
That the michetonreuse has become “michto” may seem obvious, but nothing is less certain. It is possible that “michto” appeared in the cities under the influence of the Romani language. The word “mysto” (pronounced “michto”) refers to a beautiful or pleasant thing. And that is, after all, the idea we have of an interested woman: it is difficult to “sell” your charms if you are neither beautiful nor pleasant. So, Parisian or Romani slang? It’s up to linguists to decide…
#expression #michto