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The pawnshop / At my aunt's / The nail
Pawnshop
When one is in dire need of money and still has a few assets that can be converted into cash, it may be necessary to go to a pawnshop (today, one generally goes to the Municipal Credit) to pledge these assets in exchange for a sum of money, with the hope of retrieving them later once the difficult times are over and the money has been repaid.
If this establishment is often called the pawnshop, my aunt's place, or the nail, a curious person will inevitably wonder where these names might come from.
The first dates back to the 16th century and comes from Italian. It is indeed a very free translation of “monte di pieta,” which meant “charity credit” (with “monte” actually meaning “sum of money owed” at that time), a term that perfectly corresponds to the situation.
The second date of the early nineteenth century. It is an ironic term that comes from those who, not wanting to admit their recourse to a pawnshop, explained their sudden influx of money as a contribution from close family.
And for those who might wonder why the “aunt” rather than the cousin or the mother-in-law, some explain it by the use of the feminine of “uncle,” which in 17th-century Belgium referred to a pawnbroker.
The last one is an image from the same period that simply comes from these "nails," sometimes merely imaginary, on which objects deposited at the pawnshop were supposed to be hung.
Leaving the pawnshop, where she has just pawned her jewelry and silverware without any need, Mrs. G., disguised as a pauper and covered in pawn tickets, arrives at the store where her son works (…)
Marcel Jouhandeau - Chaminadour II - 1936
(…) hold on, where is your pendulum?
- It needs mending.
- … (Laughing). It’s not true, is it: you can tell me, I’m just a friend… She’s at my aunt’s…
Henri Monnier - Popular Scenes - 1835
Here, hang this on the nail.
- Don't you want me to carry the children too? she asked. Huh! If we could pawn the children, it would be a great relief!
Émile Zola - The Drunkard - 1877
Marylena