I came across this word for the first time this afternoon in a Françoise Hardy song Rendez-vous dans une autre vie. It means ‘on the sly’ which seemed appropriate as I witnessed Felix casually bite his way through the blind cord. I wondered if he was flossing his teeth on the cord thinking it must be too fine for him to get a grip on. Then, to my astonishment (why was I astonished?), the end of the cord dropped and two severed ends swung in the air. My best Girl Guide reef knots didn’t fix the problem as the knots wouldn’t thread through the spool.

Then I recalled that another blind had two severed cords. The cause must have been the same, as both cords were broken whereas wear and tear would surely affect only one of the cords.

By the time I’d completed my investigations and rung the blind company to repair the damage (at some expense and involving five days without blinds), Felix was nonchalant, taking his ease on the woollen under-blanket on Mum’s bed. There are curtains in that room. Curtains for the cat. Grrr!