English Language & Usage Asked by Bakebake on March 8, 2021
This is the subtitle for the subsequent paragraphs in the article. It means “a glass of red wine” in French, but I cannot understand why the author chose this subtitle. Is it related to the left represented by Mr Mélenchon?
Un coup de rouge
Whoever is president will inherit a discontented country. Unemployment has been stuck above 10% since 2012; for young people, it is still above 20%. The economy is growing slowly and does not yield enough tax to pay for the public services that voters believe are their right. Racial and religious tensions run high, exacerbated by jihadist attacks. Dislike of the EU is even stronger than it was in pre-referendum Britain.
The Economist, Apirl 22, The French election
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21721143-french-go-polls-they-are-angry-and-divided-consequential-choice-franceand
Most likely, this is a pun based on the political meaning of the word coup and the association between the the color red and left-leaning European politics like those of communism and socialism.
Originating from the French expression coup d’état, which can per Dictionary.com be defined as
a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.
Wikipedia observes that in politics, the color red is often associated with the far-left — except in the United States this millennium, where it has come to be associated with the far-right instead.
So the author made a subtle joke, using two political words together to form a pun.
Answered by RaceYouAnytime on March 8, 2021
Part of the pun may be that in the United States, the color red is associated with politics of the right, and cou de rouge (without the -p but pronounced the same way coup is) can also be translated as “red neck.” Rednecks tend to vote for right-wing political candidates.
Answered by Joe on March 8, 2021
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