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"A hundred yards and the limits of the town were passed, scattered chaparral succeeding, and then a noble grove, overflowing the bijou canon."
Bijou is French for jewel. So I guess O.Henry meant the canyon was small but attractive.
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Carpal Tunnel
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It seems to have been adopted. My English dictionary has it meaning 'small and elegant'.
Bingley
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isn't this word spelled with an x, as in, 'bijoux'?
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spelled with an x
Depends. How many of 'em ya got?
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Carpal Tunnel
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That is to say - bijou is French for "jewel". Some irregular French plurals end in an 'x', and this is one of them: bijoux is the word for "jewels".
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bijou,caillou,chou,genou,hibou,joujou,pou.
The French words forming plural by adding "x"
(jewel,pebble,cabbage,knee,owl,toy,louse)
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Thanks all. Fald, not many of the real kind. A lot of faux though! :-)
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But they make them more irregular still.
beau, beaux = male admirer(s)
bureau, bureaux = desk (a "false friend," = faux ami)
cheval, cheveau = horse(s) [edit 12/21: Shame on me. Attention wandering. "cheval, chevaux"]
cheveu, cheveux = hair(s)
eau, eaux = water(s)
gateau, gateaux = cake(s)
and even
l'oeil, les yeux = eye(s)
and I'm sure there are more I don't know
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A lot of faux though!
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as long as it's not a faux yeux... 
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