Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—B

Badinage

Playful raillery, banter (French), from the verb badiner, to joke or jest. The noun badine means a switch, and in France they catch wild ducks by covering a boat with switches, in which the ducks seek protection. A person quizzed is like these wild ducks.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Badinguet
Badger
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