Chef Menteur is associated with several place names in eastern
and South
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, including
Chef Menteur Pass
The Chef Menteur Pass is a narrow natural waterway which, along with the Rigolets, connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in New Orleans, Louisiana. It begins at and follows a generally southeastward course. In the days of sailing ships, mu ...
,
Bayou Chef Menteur and
Chef Menteur Highway
U.S. Highway 90 (US 90), one of the major east–west U.S. Highways in the Southern United States, runs through southern Louisiana for , serving Lake Charles, Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City, and New Orleans. Much of it west of Lafa ...
(U.S. Highway 90 in Louisiana).
Etymology
Proposed etymologies for the phrase have varied, and the origin was obscure as early as the late nineteenth century. The literal meaning of "Chef Menteur" is "Lying chief" in the
French language; most etymologies describe the phrase as originating amongst the
Choctaw, in
whose language the equivalent is "oulabe mingo." One book from 1891 describes the origin as follows:
More modern accounts describe the term as referring either to
Kerlerec or the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
. In the case of the former, the name originates after the
French Empire, represented by Kerlerec, reneged on a treaty.
Welcome to the Best of New Orleans! Blake Pontchartrain 12 23 03
In the case of the latter, "lying" is used metaphorically, to describe the twisting and turning of the unregulated and unstable river's path through the delta.
References
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