what does "gommeuse"mean? There is no doubt that Gabrielle Chanel tried more than one line of work in Vichy. Concert-hall engagements could not be picked up there as easily as in Moulins. But Gabrielle did take hope that she might eventually become a gommeuse ("envelope licker," slang for a promising beginner, but in this instance on the music-hall stage), if only she could develop her voice. The problem was to find the money, since singing and dancing lessons could not be had free. Gabrielle therefore found herself working as a mineral-water dispenser (donneuse d'eau) in the pump room of the Grand Grill. She donned a white uniform and, from the bottom of a strange pit surrounded by grillework, spent some time filling glasses and handing them to those in Vichy for the cure.