Louche:
questionable; shady; odd [America]
shifty or disreputable [English]
[Collins Dictionary]
Noted in “The cast goes ape in a stage adaptation of a Will Self novel,”
Self’s work has always been a freewheeling mishmash of whimsy, bar-room philosophy and bum jokes, giving his work great energy and exuberance. There is also a less appealing note: a queasy “appreciation” of the louche excesses of London’s arts scene. Marmion has nailed that perfectly.
It’s a review of a play, of course. What it’s doing in NewScientist is less obvious. But I’d never seen the word louche before.
