Desalters : nm pl. Formerly the desaleurs were a company of assassins who waited on the deserted quays of the Saint-Martin canal for late passers-by. They stripped them first and then threw them into the water. The next morning they arrived as if by chance on the bank, armed with a hook and fished out the desalinated to get the bonus. The operation was doubly successful. The gang was arrested and convicted. The expression has remained with the people; everything drowned for him is a desalted.