Literal translation
to play at rat, at rat-bogeyman
Meaning
to play at flashing sunlight in someone's eyes with a mirror
Explanation
The name of a children's game that consists of secretly flashing sunlight into someone's eyes, or onto a wall, using a mirror, a watch, or a schoolbag buckle. The full name, juga à gàrri-babau, evokes the rodent that pokes its nose out and scurries off the moment it is spotted, and the babau, a word for small crawling creatures once used to threaten children into obedience. The game's name got shortened in regional French, where the meaning of babau was no longer understood.