#357: More on "borlette" (Vedrine) fwd (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Emmanuel W. Vedrine <evedrine@hotmail.com>

There's a possibility that the root of "bòlèt" ("borlette" in Haitian 
Frenchh) is Spanish, due the drawing of this game based on Spanish speaking 
countries (Cuba, D.R, Venezuela in the past mostly) though it has become a 
sort of "national game", competing with "lotri nasyonal".

The old were numbers were post in front of most "bank bòlèt" (place where 
one would play the game:

50 - 15 - 10

Some idioms with "bòlèt"

"boul bòlèt" (numbers)
"gen nan bòlèt" (to win in this game)
"jwe bòlèt" (to the the lottery, the daily, weekly game in Haiti)
"jwe yon tEt bòlèt" (to play a number)
"ouvè bank bòlèt" (to open/run a lottery place)
"pèdi nan bòlèt" (to lose $, betting on some numbers)

"dekabès" (winning 2 numbers at once)
"premye lo" (first win)
"dezyèm lo" (second win)
"twazyèm lo" (third win)
"tyala" (the numbers directory)
"rèv" (dream), each 'rèv' would match with a number in the "tyala". For 
instance if you dream "lougarou", you bet on "37"; Papa Dòk, president, 22; 
bird, 24. so on and so forht...

Gade yon bòlèt! (Danm! Danm it!) [idiom] equivalent to: "Gade yon betiz!, 
tenten!"

"Lekl bòlèt" (lekòl blòf, lekòl ki pa aprann elèv anyen): "B.S" school, fake 
one. "Direktè Sòvè apèn ouvè yon lekòl bòlèt an fas Koridò Marengwen". Elèv 
ka peye pa mwa ou pafwa. Sa k peye alè toujou pase" [The Headmaster, Sòvè 
just open a "B.S school" near Koridò Marengwen. Students can pay monthly or 
sometimes. Those who pay on time always pass.]

E.W.Vedrine


= = = = ==

"Borlette comes from the spanish word "boleto" for ticket. The game is said 
to have been introduced into Haiti by a cuban called Machado."
(Patrice)


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