gratte-cul

these gorgeous rose hips come from the wild rose called here the eglantier, but known in english as sweet-brier. my favorite name for them, however, is gratte-cul, which translates as the delightful expression “scratch-ass,” because the little seeds inside are encased in a hairy husk that, when artfully dropped down the shirt or pants of a schoolmate, generate an exquisite torment that one can then talk about for decades, if not generations, according to our next-door neighbor here.

rose hips; autignac, france