Meadows

For some reason, in the course of reading Maigret à Vichy, I thought to look up the word flou, a word which Simenon often uses to describe Maigret's state of mind before getting the scent (as it were). From there I got to flouve which Larousse said was the sort of grass which gave hay its characteristic smell. So what is this in English? The word does not appear in Collins Robert so I am reduced to online, where linguee tells me that it is sweet vernal grass.

From whence to Wikipedia which tells me about '... anthoxanthum odoratum grass ... the scent is particularly strong when dried, and is due to coumarin, a glycoside, and benzoic acid – it smells like fresh hay with a hint of vanilla...'. So the stuff smells like hay, which it not quite the same as being the cause of the admittedly distinctive smell of freshly cut hay. Although Wikipedia does suggest that you do get the stuff in old pastures and meadows.

Which leaves me a bit unsure of what to think.

I also used the break to check in the Times Atlas where Vichy was, which I had thought to be somewhere in the south west of France, a bit to the north of the Pyrenees. And the way Simenon writes one might think that it was almost a seaside resort. It turns out to be in the south east of France, not far from Clermont-Ferrand and a long way from the sea. But it is on the Allier, a substantial tributary of the Loire, so probably comes complete with river beaches, swimming and boating, which probably explains the Simenon. As well as the hotels, parks and casinos of a spa town. No doubt all will become clear on the second read.

PS: do not get confused. The member of the grass family which Larousse calls gramineae are known here as poaceae. Presumably the result of some arcane dispute in the taxonomists' fraternity house.

Reference 1: Maigret à Vichy - Simenon - 1967 - volume XXIV of the collected works.

Reference 2: https://www.linguee.com/.

Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/05/bank-holiday.html. Notice of the arrival of the Times Atlas.

Reference 4: http://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/toxicagents/coumarin.html. Supplementary information. The stuff turns out to be a relative of warfarin, which I am getting to know well. Small world strikes again.