coukaski

[Francoise Rosset]

It's actually "courkaski" with an R.  (acc. to the Littré)

Not that that helps much, I don't recognize the "Slavonic" word, and 
it doesn't form a pun in French either.
The closest is the word "cocasse," which means "droll" or "comic."

-FR



On Thu, 1 Mar 2012 10:12:32 -0500
  Franklin Sciacca <fsciacca at HAMILTON.EDU> wrote:
> I have a request from a Voltaire specialist. He inquires about the
> 
> meaning of "coukaski" in the following sentence (which is apparently 
>a
> 
> Voltaire comment on the use of the word instructeur in a line to a
> 
> satirical poem entitled Le Russe a Paris:
> 
> "Peu de nos Auteurs se sont servis du mot instructeur qui manque a 
>notre
> 
> langue. On voit bien que c’est un Russe qui parle. Ce terme repond a
> 
> 
> 
> celui de coukaski, qui est tres energique en sclavon. "
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
>Frank
> 
> 
> -- 
> -- 
>Franklin Sciacca
> Associate Professor of Russian
> Program in Russian Studies
> Hamilton College
> 198 College Hill Road
> Clinton, New York 13323
> 315-859-4773
> 


Francoise Rosset, Associate Professor
Chair, Russian and Russian Studies
Wheaton College
Norton, Massachusetts 02766
Office: (508) 285-3696
FAX:   (508) 286-3640

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