# The French Cat, by Siné: what does this drawing mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-french-cat-by-sine-what-does-this-drawing-mean/327551>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 23, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-french-cat-by-sine-what-does-this-drawing-mean/327551 "2005-10-23T19:15:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-french-cat-by-sine-what-does-this-drawing-mean/327551/1 "2005-10-23T19:15:30Z")

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If you enjoy puns, you might enjoy a tiny cartoon book I first saw in the 1950’s called _The French Cat,_ by “Siné.” It illustrates such words as _Chat-Plin_ with a stylized feline, complete with beret, made up as The Little Tramp, and _Gei-Chat_ as a cat wearing a Japanese kimono.

Here are some references to it:

[http://www.logan.com/loganberry/specials-cats.html](http://www.logan.com/loganberry/specials-cats.html)  
[http://www.verdenet.com/sepa/chat-sine.html](http://www.verdenet.com/sepa/chat-sine.html)

But I can’t figure out what [this drawing](http://doorbell.net/junk/liapine.gif) means. Can anyone explain it?

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**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-french-cat-by-sine-what-does-this-drawing-mean/327551/2 "2005-10-23T19:20:13Z")

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Following the pattern of the puns you listed turned up this possibility: [http://www.grandi-tenori.com/articles/reflections\_fragala\_chaliapine\_02.htm](http://www.grandi-tenori.com/articles/reflections_fragala_chaliapine_02.htm)

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-french-cat-by-sine-what-does-this-drawing-mean/327551/3 "2005-10-23T19:28:42Z")

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> [@Idlewild](#):
>
> Following the pattern of the puns you listed turned up this possibility: [grandi-tenori.com is for sale | HugeDomains](http://www.grandi-tenori.com/articles/reflections_fragala_chaliapine_02.htm)

Aha! I think you found it! I guess I was led astray by thinking about Tolstoy’s “Liapine” house and the English verb “to pine”, neither of which made any sense. An opera singer, Chaliapine, would fit the bill perfectly both in word pronunciation and intent.

Thanks, **Idlewild!** God, I love the SDMB – an answer in only 5 minutes!