Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Use of 'cirque' has gone berserk
Kevin Kittredge
Grrr! is an occasional rant about things that don't work very well.
Recent columns
Can we stop with the "cirque" business, already?
The word was cool back when it was associated in this country primarily with the dazzling, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, which in English translates to "Circus of the Sun." Too cool apparently; now, it seems every traveling show with a couple of acrobats is a "cirque," and not a circus.
Here in Roanoke, we've had "Cirque de la Symphonie" and we're about to get "Cirque Dreams Illumination," by Cirque Productions, at the Roanoke Civic Center on Oct. 6. A Google search also turns up "Cirque de Flambe," "Cirque Passion," and "Cirque le Masque."
I'm not criticizing these shows. No doubt they are all entertaining productions, and my hat's off to the acrobats who do those sometimes death-defying stunts -- but none of those circuses is actually French, or even Canadian, and none of them is connected with Cirque du Soleil, though some people no doubt think they are. So why the fancy French name?
This is partly Cirque du Soleil's fault, for using the word "cirque" as a brand name to begin with. Cirque du Soleil's huge popularity has spawned lots of imitators, and at least one lawsuit over who does or does not own the word "cirque." But no one owns the word "cirque," which just means "circus" in French.
Actually, "cirque" has a second French meaning. According to WordReference.com, it can also mean "racket," as in unpleasant noise, and is often used in the colloquial phrase, "Arrete ton cirque!" which means, "Stop your nonsense!" We agree.
The American word is "circus" -- and it still works just fine.
Mailbag time
Grrr! fan Regeana Sandidge of Fincastle is tired of seeing unmowed grass along our highways, and she has an idea for doing something about it:
"The governor says that our highways and interstates cannot be mowed but once or twice a summer now because of our economy," she said. "If they can take out trustees from our prisons to collect the trash on the side of our interstates and highways, why can't they bring out the trustees to mow our grasses? They have a debt to society and I feel like that would be a good way for them to pay back some of the money that state of Virginia taxpayers are paying for their care."
Thanks, Regeana.
Grrr! has a new theme song! Salem singer-songwriter Greg Trafidlo recently e-mailed to tell us he has written a song about ranting in a recession. The title is "For Just Two Dollars (You Can Cuss Me Out)."
Here's a sample:
"For just two dollars you can cuss me out
Scream and shout, run your mouth
Is that all you got? Gimme your best shot
For just two dollars you can cuss me out"
To hear "For Just Two Dollars," visit Trafidlo's Web site at gregtrafidlo.com
Can you think of something that really ought to work better? Let us know. Kevin.kittredge@roanoke.com; 981-3323.
