What English homophone corresponds to 'oise salon'?
This is something of a fringe question. I hope it's considered on-topic.
There have been two books published which purport to be French poetry. The joke is that when read aloud, the poetry sounds, with some artistic license, like well-known English texts.
The first book is 'Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames', which 'translates' to 'Mother Goose rhymes'.
The other book is 'Guillaume Chequespierre and the Oise Salon'. I can't work out what English phrase could be meant.
What is the English almost-homophone for 'Oise Salon'?
EDIT: From the front pages of the book. This lends credibility to mplungjan's answer.
I would suggest "Wazz salon"
as in
William Shakespeare and the Wazz Salon
- The pronunciation matches:
From Wikipedia
Oise (French pronunciation: [waz]) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.
- The book is from Oct 1985
Wazz - Urinate - 1980s: origin uncertain; perhaps an alteration of whizz.
Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/wazz
Whiz/Whizz
sometimes vulgar : an act of urinating —used especially in the phrase take a whiz
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiz
- It is mentioned in this thesis:
"This translator masquerades his traducsons as the original works of a school of French poets who meet regularly by a pissoir to recite their creations. The group is aptly called the “Oise Salon” (“Wazz Salon”) and calls a certain Guillaume Chequespierre its leader."
Source: Sound Translation: Poetic and Cinematic Practices, Ryan Fraser
- and this review points out the pissoir
The Oise Salon was located in front of the Louis XIV pissoir at 13 Rue de Chat Mort (#13 Dead Cat Street), Paris where a group of eccentric poets in the 1880's gathered to recite their works.
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/forums/node/12881163#post-12881163
Note: Since I cannot find the text of the actual book online, the above two points are not verifiable