Rosières-aux-Salines () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' in north-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In the past, inhabitants of Rosières-aux-Salines were insultingly known by their neighbours as ''oua-oua'' (pronounced "wa-wa"), on account of a

speech defect Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills a ...

caused by a local

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

condition, which was considered hilarious.Graham Robb, ''The Discovery of France'', p37, Picador (2007), , citing Vital Collet "Sobriquets caractérisant les habitants de villages lorrains" in ''Le Pays lorrain'', Nancy (1908), pp442-449 and Henri-Adolphe Labourasse, "Anciens us, coutumes, légendes, supersititions, préjugés, etc. du département de la Meuse" in ''Mémoires de la Société des lettres, sciences et art de Bar-le-Duc'', 1902, pp3-225

References

Rosieresauxsalines {{MeurtheMoselle-geo-stub

See also

References