Land of Black Gold - Word Play

Word Play

Many of the names of characters and places in this album are puns in Brussels dialect:

  • Ben Kalish Ezab – kalische zap, liquorice juice
  • Bir El Ambik – bière lambic, a type of Belgian beer
  • Yussuf Ben Mulfrid – moules-frites, a Belgian dish consisting of French fries with mussels
  • Bab El Ehr – babbeleer, chatterer
  • the Well of Bir Kegg – beer keg
  • Wadesdah; What is that?
  • Hasch Abaibabi; Hush-a-bye baby

"Boum !", the iconic song by Charles Trenet, appears in parody as the car breakdown repair company's advertising jingle, which plays on Thomson and Thompson's car radio at the very beginning of the story.

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