A flea market is a place where people sell and buy old and used things, such as clothes, furniture, books, and more. You can find many different things at a flea market, and sometimes you can find rare and valuable things there. But why is it called a flea market? What do fleas have to do with it?
The name of the flea market is not very clear. There are different stories and ideas about where it came from. Some people think it came from France, some people think it came from England, and some people think it came from America. Let’s look at some of these stories and see what they say.
The French story
One story says that the name of the flea market came from the French phrase “marché aux puces”, which means “market of fleas”. This phrase was used to describe the outdoor markets in Paris, where people sold old and used things that often had fleas on them. Fleas are small insects that bite and suck blood from animals and people. They can live on clothes, furniture, and other things, and they can make people sick.
The first time that this phrase was used in French was in 1885, in a book by Alfred Delvau. The first time that this phrase was used in English was in 1922, in a book by G.S. Dougherty. He wrote, “It is called the ‘Flea’ Market because there are many second-hand goods sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas.”
The English story
Another story says that the name of the flea market came from the English word “flee,” which means “to run away.” This story says that the name was used to describe the markets where people sold their things quickly and cheaply, or where they had to run away from the police or the owners who wanted to take their things. This story also says that the name was used to describe the markets that moved from one place to another because they had to run away from the city or the law.
This story is based on the fact that some of the first flea markets in Paris were in places that were destroyed or changed by the city planners in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The people who sold their things there had to find new places to sell them, and they called them “flee” markets.
The American story
A third story says that the name of the flea market came from the Dutch word “Vlaie,” which means “swamp” or “marsh.” This word was used to name the outdoor market in New York, which was started by the Dutch people who came to America in the 1600s. The market was in a place that was once a swamp near the river, and it was later called the “Fly Market” or the “Flea Market” by the English people who spoke there.
This story is based on the fact that the Dutch people were the first to have outdoor markets in America, and they called them “Vlaie” markets. The English people who came later changed the name to “Fly” or “Flea” markets because they thought it sounded like the Dutch word.
The conclusion
These are some of the stories and ideas about where the name of the flea market came from. They are not very sure, and they may not be true. But they are interesting, and they show how different people and places can have different names and meanings for the same thing.
Flea markets are places where people sell and buy old and used things, but they are also more than that. Flea markets are part of the history and culture of many people and places, and they can show us many things and stories that we may not know. Flea markets are also fun and exciting places to visit, where we can find and discover new things and people.