Before the toolbox, “bricoler” moved by detours

The earliest documented step belongs to the noun “bricole”. The TLFi records “brigole” in 1360 for a kind of catapult powered by a swinging beam, followed by the spelling “bricole” in 1372.^[1]

The French Academy still records this historical meaning: a bricole was a medieval ballista. It traces the term to Italian “briccola”, a war machine.^[3]

By 1583, “bricole” could mean a zigzag or ricochet. It entered the language of real tennis in 1611 and billiards in 1694, describing a ball that reaches its target after touching a wall or cushion.^[1],[3]

The verb “bricoler” is recorded in 1480 for moving here and there. In 1611 it meant playing off the side of the court, and in 1616 it described a ricochet. Detours belonged to the word centuries before screwdrivers did.^[2]

The indirect path became a metaphor for behaviour. The TLFi records a 1634 sense of manoeuvring by roundabout means. A century later, the Academy also used “bricoler” for someone who avoided proceeding directly in a matter.^[2],[5]

The familiar meaning moved closer to today’s usage in the nineteenth century. Before 1859, “bricoler” is recorded for doing small jobs. A 1919 use describes repairing or arranging something ingeniously with what is available.^[2]

The noun “bricolage” came later still: the TLFi records it in 1927, and the Academy classifies it as a twentieth-century derivative. The modern word retains a trace of its journey—reaching a result by an indirect route.^[2],[6]