#369: "borlette" #2 (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 (e.g, Cuba, D.R, Venezuela in the past mostly) though it has 
become a sort of "national game", competing with "lotri nasyonal".

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

50         15         10
[premye lo [dezyèm lo [twazyèm lo


Some idioms with "bòlèt"

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

"dekabès" (winning 2 numbers at once) ["fè dekabès". Loulou fè 'dekabès' nan 
07]
"jwe yon tèt lotri" (to play a number)
"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 forth...

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

"Lekòl 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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