escargatoire

plural escargatoires

1. A nursery for snails.
2. broadlycollectiveA large number of snails.

   Even Seraphine was excited to find a grotto for the Virgin Mary behind a silverbeet forest, Buddha, Ganesh and an escargatoire of snails in attendance.

   2013, Sarah Laing, The Fall of Light, Penguin Random House New Zealand

   2 more examples

   It isn’t just one slow driver in the left lane, it is an escargatoire of snails in no hurry and oblivious to the ire they create in the heavy-footed drivers trapped behind them.

   2018 October 26, SLt M.X. Déry, “What drives me crazy? Snails in the left lane”, in Lookout, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026

   Here, a stone’s throw from Love Apple Farm, dinner can start with an escargatoire of snails in garlic-and-parsley butter to mop up with crunchy bread, and end with cream-filled profiteroles.

   2023 July 5, Susie Davidson Powell, “Review: Take a country drive to dinner at car-themed Shadow 66”, in Times-Union, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026

   Synonyms: rout