Literal translation
to make a pact
Meaning
to strike a deal
Explanation
To strike a deal, literally to make a pact. It is the traditional gesture between merchants who, once agreed, shake hands while saying pache fa or batèu. Faire pache is taken seriously, in a place where people say a spoken word binds tighter than an anchor, and where certain trades, such as black truffles, are still sealed orally and in Provençal. The word batèu, unrelated to boats, comes from an old Judeo-Provençal term borrowed from Hebrew, meaning deal struck.