Literal Translation
… bumbum the praline?!
Actual Meaning
Sickly sweet (as in gooey-eyed)
Etymology
This story takes us back to the kitchens and recipe books of the 17th century. At that time, cooks competed to be the most inventive in order to delight the taste buds of kings. Depending on the version, this led to the creation of flan at the end of Henry IV’s reign, macarons in Dalloyau’s kitchens, and pralines. The name was given by Marshal du Plessis-Praslin, whose chef invented the sweet, and from whom the boss stole the credit for the creation… In 1662, according to the Trésor de la langue française, prasline, spelled as such, was enjoyed with lemon or violet flavouring, but this confectionery was not yet referred to as ‘cucul’. So what happened?
That’s the rub! Apart from the first appearance of our expression in Colette’s writing in 1933, there is no textual evidence of its creation. Some have suggested that it originated in the Seychelles, as Georges Planelles recalls in Les 1001 expressions préférées des Français (The 1001 favourite expressions of the French). There are two reasons for this. Not only was the archipelago named Praslin, but it was also on this same land that the population picked coconuts with a suggestive shape, nicknamed ‘coco-fesses’. A perfect link for our expression ‘cucul la praline’! But how can we explain its shift in meaning to refer to something silly or ridiculous? Here’s another snag… While the anecdote is interesting, there is currently no evidence to explain this shift in meaning.
It is worth noting that the doubling of the word ‘cul’ in the form ‘cucul’ also exists in the feminine form. However – and this will be our final word on the matter – ‘cuculle’ does not refer to something “silly” but rather to ‘a monk’s hood’. So there you have it, an explanation that is far from being… cucul la praline!