Also means
hairdresser (slang)
Usage Note
Merlan is the common North Atlantic whiting (Merlangius merlangus), a white-fleshed fish sold widely in French fishmongers. In Parisian slang, le merlan has historically meant a hairdresser, supposedly because hairdressers used to be as white with powder as a whiting. The plural is regular: merlans.
Examples
"Le merlan est un poisson bon marché."
Natural Translation
Whiting is an inexpensive fish.
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