escargatoire en · NOUN
Etymology
Borrowed from French escargatoire.
Meanings
- A nursery for snails.
-
(broadly, collective) A large number of snails.
Even Seraphine was excited to find a grotto for the Virgin Mary behind a silverbeet forest, Buddha, Ganesh and an escargatoire of snails in attendance.
2013, Sarah Laing, The Fall of Light, Penguin Random House New Zealand:It isn’t just one slow driver in the left lane, it is an escargatoire of snails in no hurry and oblivious to the ire they create in the heavy-footed drivers trapped behind them.
2018 October 26, SLt M.X. Déry, “What drives me crazy? Snails in the left lane”, in Lookout, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026:Here, a stone’s throw from Love Apple Farm, dinner can start with an escargatoire of snails in garlic-and-parsley butter to mop up with crunchy bread, and end with cream-filled profiteroles.
2023 July 5, Susie Davidson Powell, “Review: Take a country drive to dinner at car-themed Shadow 66”, in Times-Union, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| escargatoires | Number=Plur | lexicographic |