‘Lapsus linguae’ is Latin for ‘a slip of the tongue’ – in French it is often shortened to just lapsus. In this little album Courbouleix utilises a pungent combination of verbal and visual wit to illustrate how simple slips, mostly spoonerisms (named after the Oxford don William Archibald Spooner who was renowned for them; spoonérisme or contrepèterie in French), in which corresponding consonants are swapped, often on purpose to create a new meaning.

Being Courbouleix, of course, the lapsus is always sexual, so as well as enjoying the imagery of this original and accomplished portfolio you will also learn some useful French sentences …

We have not included all of the non-erotic etchings, but have added a few double-page spreads at the end to show how the book is presented in facing pairs of images.

Here is the text from the contents page, together with its English translation.

Légendes explicatives des illustrations contenues dans cet album
Explanatory captions for the illustrations contained in this album

Dites
  1   La vieille douairière se chauffe d’un feu de poutre.
  2   A Beaumont-le-Vicomte.
  3   J’ai vu un blanc dans sa couche.
  4   Le quincaillier empile son vieux fer dans son magasin.
  5   La femme de l’ingénieur est écrasée sous un pilier de mine.
  6   L’enfant se nourrit dupis de la vache.
  7   Le proviseur nous fit voir les pièces du fond.
  8   Le marchand vend de le serge.
  9   M. le curé est tombé fou entre deux messes.
10   Il suce le jonc de sa canne.
11   Les laborieuses populations du Cap.
12   A l’auberge du Bon Couché.
13   J’ai mis en perce un fût de kummel.
14   Ces enfants jouent sur la berge du ravin.
15   J’ai pris une jeune bonne pour secouer les mites de mes habits.
16   Le vent siffle dans la rue du quai.
17   Les laboureurs s’en vont en bande aux champs, en caressant le cou de leurs boeufs.

Ne dites pas
  1   La vieille douairière se chauffe d’un peu de foutre.
  2   Abeau con le vit monte.
  3   J’ai vu un gland dans sa bouche.
  4   Le quincaillier enfile son vieux père dans son magasin.
  5   La femme de l’ingénieur est écrasée sous un millier d’epines
  6   L’enfant se nourrit du vit de l’apache.
  7   Le proviseur nous fit voir les fesses du pion.
  8   Le marchand sent de la verge.
  9   M. le curé est tombé mou entre deux fesses.
10   Il suce le con de sa Jeanne.
11   Les laborieuses copulations du pape.
12   A l’auberge du Con Bouché.
13   J’ai mis en perce un cul de fumelle.
14   Ces enfants jouent sur la verge du rabbin.
15   J’ai pris une jeune bonne pour secouer les bites de mes amis.
16   Le vit s’enfle dans le raie du cul.
17   Les laboureurs s’en vont en bandochant, en caressant le bout de leurs queues.

Say
  1   The old dowager warms herself by a log fire.
  2   In Beaumont-le-Vicomte.
  3   I saw the white of her costume.
  4   The ironmonger stacks old iron in his store.
  5   The engineer’s wife is crushed under a mine piller.
  6   The child drinks from the udder of the cow.
  7   The principal showed us the back rooms.
  8   The merchant sells serge.
  9   The priest went mad between two masses.
10   He sucks the end of his cane.
11   The hardworking people of Cape Town.
12   At the Sleep-Well inn.
13   I opened a keg of kummel (a cumin-based alcoholic drink).
14   These children are playing on the bank of the ravine.
15   I took a young maid to shake the moths out of my clothes.
16   The wind whistles through the quayside street.
17   The ploughmen go in groups to the fields, stroking the necks of their oxen.

Do not say
  1   The old dowager loves a bit of cum.
  2   Life loves a great cunt.
  3   I saw a cock in her mouth.
  4   The ironmonger defiles his old father in his store.
  5   The engineer’s wife is crushed under a thousand cocks
  6   The child drinks warm cum.
  7   The principal showed us the caretaker’s buttocks.
  8   The merchant smells of his cock.
  9   The priest fell limp between two buttocks.
10   He sucks Jeanne’s cunt.
11   The laborious copulations of the Pope.
12   At the Cunt-in-Mouth inn.
13   I drilled a brown asshole.
14   These children are playing on the rabbi’s prick.
15   I took a young maid to shake my friends’ cocks.
16   The cock swells inside the ass.
17   The ploughmen go off in gay groups, stroking the ends of their cocks.

Lapsus Linguae was privately published with no indication of publisher or place of publication, in a limited numbered edition of 150 copies.

We are very grateful to Common Crow Books in Pittsburgh for this set of images. Common Crow’s website can be found here, where you can purchase Lapsus Linguae if they still have it in stock.