Mischievously elliptical phrase. Let's understand: a single opportunity to commit a clumsiness, a stupidity, an error, a blunder, a stupidity, to say something stupid, a c…, etc. The phrase is often addressed to a « sale gosse »and this context “terrible child” justifies the fact that many authors of comic strips or Books for young people have included it in the title of their works: Bennett doesn't miss a beat (Anthony Buckeridge, Olivier Séchan, Daniel Billan, éd. Hachette, 1980), Victor doesn't miss one! (Zep, ed. Kesselring, 1988), Julia doesn't miss one! (Christel Desmoineaux and Clément, ed. Fleurus, 1991), Calamity Grandma doesn't miss one! (Jean-Louis Besson, Arnaud Alméras, ed. Nathan, 2003).
Read also: “He was minus one!” »: where does this expression come from?
However, although none of his albums bears this title, the archetype of those who never miss a beat, the paragon of blunders of all kinds, remains the indescribable Gaston Lagaffe, a character released in 1957 from the fertile imagination of André Franquin. We also sometimes hear, with the same meaning: he doesn't miss a single one!
This article was originally published in Read Magazine in September 2024. Find the full issue on the store Read Magazine .
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