Literal translation
to make chine
Meaning
to give someone a leg up
Explanation
This is the standard Provençal phrase for giving someone a leg up, literally making the little back, since esquino means back. It passed into regional French mainly through the children our grandparents or great-grandparents once were, who spoke Provençal in the schoolyard despite the bans, and made esquinette to scale a wall, pick a fig, or set up a prank.