That's Mark -- always chasing the angles!!

Marchand de tapis is a rug-seller, which in the context of 1965 France, when Tintin and Milou was first written would be considered a sort of slur. Captain haddock is a burly tough old seadog who is always uttering expletives like "Mille sabords!" (a thousand ports or slopholes) or "Tonnerres de Brest!!" (Thunders of Brest! (a shipping port in Brittany)).

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