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A douceur

Posted by ESC on November 14, 2001

This sentence refers to an American company in the 1700s: "There were two employees, William Coulthard, a clerk, who was paid $500 per year, and John Valentine Cline, a porter who earned $10 a month plus 'an hint of a douceur at Christmas in case of good behavior.'"

What is "a douceur"? I'm not familiar with this term. Is it like a "Christmas bonus"? An online dictionary says a "douceur" is "a conciliatory gift."

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