\"Bastille taken\": Idioms, proverbs, sayings, and jokes about the main fortress of France

On the 14th of July, 1789, the Parisian mob laid siege to the fortress-prison of the Bastille. This event resounded throughout the world and forever changed the course of history. However, along with the revolution, the Bastille gave rise to an entire layer of culture — idioms, proverbs, sayings, and countless jokes that are still alive today. From school anecdotes to philosophical quotes, the image of the Bastille has deeply embedded in the language, becoming a symbol not only of freedom but also of national humor.

\"Take the Bastille\": The main phraseologicalism of the revolution

The most well-known idiom associated with the Bastille is undoubtedly \"take the Bastille.\" In the literal sense, it means the siege of the fortress on the 14th of July, 1789, but in a figurative sense, it symbolizes the victory over oppression, the overthrow of the old order, and the triumph of freedom. As historians write, \"its fall symbolized the end of the old world.\" This phrase has become an epitome of any decisive action against injustice.

In literature, we encounter it in various contexts. For example, in one of the quotes from Russian classicism, we read: \"It's good if there's a tribune whose voice will point the way — the order of human nature, if there's a common goal — a fortress that needs to be taken, the Bastille that needs to be destroyed. — The Bastille has been taken. The revolution has won.\" Here the Bastille acts as a metaphor for any tyranny that the people must smash.

The name \"Bastille\" itself (from the French bastille — a fortress) has also become a catchphrase in many languages for a prison or a place of detention. In English slang, for example, the word \"bastille\" was used as a general term for a prison, and its shortened form \"steel\" was a favorite expression among the lower classes. In a figurative sense, \"sitting in the Bastille\" meant being in custody, and \"escaping from the Bastille\" meant gaining freedom.

\"Bastille Day has been a wasted day\": A catchphrase from \"Love and Pigeons\"

Perhaps the most famous phrase about the Bastille in the post-Soviet space came not from history books, but from a movie. In Vladimir Menchov's movie \"Love and Pigeons\" (1984), the character of Sergey Yursky — Uncle Mitya — pulls out a tear-off calendar and sighs wistfully, \"I haven't drunk! Though there's an occasion — Bastille Day has been a wasted day!\"

This line became a real aphorism. Thousands of people jokingly mention the French national holiday in just this way — as an excuse for drinking that was missed. The phrase \"Bastille Day has been a wasted day\" has long outgrown the bounds of the movie and become a stable expression denoting a missed opportunity for a celebration or a feast. Sometimes it is cited ironically, sometimes with a touch of nostalgia for those times when even historical events became reasons for national humor.

Incidentally, the tradition of linking the Bastille with drinking is not accidental. After the destruction of the fortress, a plaque with the inscription \"Here they dance, and everything will be fine\" (ici l'on danse, ah ça ira, ah ça ira!) was installed on its site. So Uncle Mitya, not knowing it himself, continued a multiv century-old tradition — turning a symbol of tyranny into a place for fun.

\"Damp Bastille\" and other literary expressions

The Bastille has also not gone unnoticed in Russian classics. In Mikhail Bulgakov's play \"The Cabbala of Swallow,\" the character exclaims: \"Take, damp Bastille!\" This expression sounds like a curse or a call to judgment — the image of a damp, dark fortress, ready to swallow another victim. It emphasizes the ominous reputation of the Bastille as a place where people disappeared without trial.

Interestingly, the expression \"Lettre de cachet\" — \"letter with a seal\" has also been preserved in the language. This was a royal edict that allowed a person to be confined to the Bastille without trial, by the personal order of the monarch. The phrase itself has become a symbol of tyranny and lawlessness, and in a figurative sense, denotes any unfair order or decision.

Folk sayings and proverbs

The Bastille has left not only serious but also ironic traces in popular memory. For example, there is a joke saying: \"Don't swear off Mordaut and Bastille\" — a hint that anyone can end up in prison, even the most noble person. And in the circles of Alexander Dumas enthusiasts, there is another witticism: \"Measure seven times, strengthen Belle-Île once\" — a parody on a well-known saying, where \"cut\" is replaced by the name of another fortress associated with the plots of Musketeers.

Of course, there are many idioms in France related to the Revolution and July 14th. For example, the phrase \"Les carottes sont cuites\" (\"carrots are cooked\") means that the deal is done and there's no turning back — roughly like after the taking of the Bastille. And the motto \"Liberty. Equality. Fraternity\" has become not just a slogan, but a proverbial phrase quoted throughout the world.

School anecdotes: who took the Bastille?

The most popular joke about the Bastille is undoubtedly a classic school anecdote. The teacher asks the student, \"Who took the Bastille?\" He answers honestly: \"I didn't take!\" Then follows a chain reaction: the teacher is angry, the deputy principal is confused, the director is desperate. This anecdote exists in dozens of variations. In one of them, Vovochka explains: \"I don't know, I didn't take!\" and his father adds: \"I don't know, whether I took or not, but I didn't bring it home.\"

Another popular dialogue:

— For what did you get a double, son? — For the Bastille, dad! — What is that? — Such a fortress. — How many degrees? — Don't know, we took it by storm. — That's right, strong, guy!

These jokes are funny precisely because of their absurdity: the child takes the historical event for theft, and the fortress for an alcoholic drink. They show how far national imagination can deviate from historical truth, turning a great event into a reason for laughter.

There are also calypsos in the English-speaking world. For example: \"Why does the French Revolution look like Prohibition? Because both got rid of the Bourbons!\" (Bourbon — both a dynasty and whiskey). Or: \"Have you heard the joke about Bastille Day? It's just a riot!\" (play on words: riot — riot, but also joy).

Foreign humor: puns and puns

On the Internet, you can find hundreds of jokes about the Bastille, based on wordplay. Here are a few examples from English-language websites:

• \"Why did the baguette go to a party? Because it wanted to 'rise' for the occasion\" (rise — and rise, and approach).
• \"Bastille Day without cheese — it's un-brie-lievable!\" (un-brie-lievable — unbelievable).
• \"What's the favorite dish of the French Revolution? Freedom éclair!\" (liberty éclair — play on words with éclair and liberty).
• \"Why do French bakers bake extra bread on Bastille Day? Because they know that everyone is going to 'storm' their bakery!\"

And there's a famous pick-up line: \"Hey, girl, are you the French Revolution? Because I keep imagining you without pants\" (sans-culottes — literally \"without pants,\" what the revolutionaries were called). Of course, this is an offensive, but it perfectly illustrates how a historical image can turn into an opportunity for flirtation.

Bastille as meme: from history to internet culture

Today the image of the Bastille lives not only in anecdotes, but also in internet memes. The phrase \"Bastille Day has been a wasted day\" has become one of the most cited movie catchphrases in the Runet. It is used when you want to joke about a missed celebration or a failed party. And in the English-speaking segment of social networks, there are pictures with captions like \"Bastille Day: the one holiday where storming something is actually encouraged\" (\"Bastille Day: the only holiday where storming something is actually encouraged\").

Memes and jokes about the Bastille are not just entertainment. They show how a historical event, separated from us by centuries, continues to live in the language and culture. We laugh at the Bastille because it no longer scares us, but inspires — to freedom, to a celebration, and even to a good joke.

Conclusion

The Bastille has long been destroyed, but its image lives in thousands of expressions, proverbs, and jokes. From serious phraseologicalisms like \"take the Bastille\" to absurd school anecdotes, from philosophical quotes of classics to internet memes — the fortress that once symbolized tyranny has today become a symbol of national wit. And perhaps this is the best victory of the revolution: to turn even the darkest symbol into a reason for a smile.

Permanent link to this publication: