h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I once read that Marie-Antoinette actually said "Qu'ils mangient de la brioche", which (I think) means "Let them eat bread". IMHO (if this is true), she was actually giving the order to feed the people. Brioche was the only kind of bread she knew (or so I read).

What does everybody else think?

MSC

Actually, the peasants were revolting near the castle, and Marie-Antoinette asked what the fuss was about. So someone told her,
"Ils n'ont pas de pain, Madame" (they don't have any bread)
To which she answered,
"Ils n'ont pas de pain ? Et bien, qu'ils mangent de la brioche !" (They don't have bread ? Well, let them eat brioche)
...whatever the hell "brioche" is in english, I don't know the word.

kinda like being told people in a dry coutry are badly in need of water, and answering "well, they can drink orange juice, can't they ?"
Not very nice, or concerned by the peasants' needs.

I think it was worse than that. Marie-Antoinette was repeating an old joke when she said "let them eat brioche". The nearest equivalent in English would be "let them eat cake, boom boom"! No wonder she annoyed the people.

What the hell does "let them eat cake, boom boom" mean ?
... I've never heard of the french expression "let them eat brioche"...

Boom, boom, in England, means "I have just told a joke and you are all to laugh". I may be wrong about it having been a joke at the time, but that's what I've heard.

By the way, using "What the hell" is considered strong language and does not go with your "born to be mild" image.

this is where I should say "pardon my french"
I didn't mean that seriously. No offence meant, Gnomon ! Why the hell do you take me so --ing literally ? Just kidding.
Anyway, more to the point, I think this anecdote is where that joke actually originated. Unless queen Marie-Antoinette was referring to her own joke, knowing it would in time become a classic