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Negative traits attributed to others | ||
Tags: Cultural Identity | Idiom | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5340 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes  Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 1 of 74 02 May 2010 at 11:44pm | IP Logged | ||
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Many years ago, I was quite amused at finding out that the French word for a condom was "capote anglaise", (an English hood), and that the English expression was "French letters". It seemed like they were both eager to attribute the responsibility to someone else.
In Spanish a roller coaster is called "una montaña rusa" - a Russian mountain, and I was equally amused when I recently found out that the Russian word for it was "an American mountain". Now my Russian teacher insisted that the reason for this was that there are lots of mountains in the US, but I am not convinced. I think that they both in Spanish and Russian chose a nationality that seemed exotic and a bit scary. Do you have similar examples from other languages? Edited by Solfrid Cristin on 03 May 2010 at 10:06am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tracker465 Senior Member United States Joined 5358 days ago 355 posts - 496 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch | Message 2 of 74 02 May 2010 at 11:59pm | IP Logged | ||
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Well in English language there are a lot of words against the Dutch. For instance, we have "Dutch Date" in which both people pay their own way, as opposed to the more traditional (atleast in America) idea of the man buying the woman's way, and then also Dutch oven, which is slang for when someone farts in bed and then pulls the cover up over both people's head, making them trapped with the smell. so many bad expressions about the Dutch.
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| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5340 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 3 of 74 03 May 2010 at 12:31am | IP Logged | ||
Dear God, I laughed so much I just had to shove the PC over to my husband so he could see this one, I was literally crying so I couldn't tell him what I was laughing about. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| psy88 Senior Member United States Joined 5597 days ago 469 posts - 882 votes Studies: Spanish*, Japanese, Latin, French | Message 4 of 74 03 May 2010 at 12:37am | IP Logged | ||
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If we want to stay with "Dutch " words in English: a "Dutch uncle" is someone who admonishes sternly and bluntly. Also, the expression to "be in Dutch" with someone referring to being on their bad side, in trouble with them. And,without the slang connotation, a Dutch oven is a type of cooking pot.
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| patuco Diglot Moderator Gibraltar Joined 7021 days ago 3795 posts - 4268 votes Speaks: Spanish, English* Personal Language Map | Message 5 of 74 03 May 2010 at 1:55am | IP Logged | ||
The first time I ever heard this was in university when a group of us were going out and someone suggested that we should "go Dutch". I thought it was a strange sexual practice and stayed away from him all night until the time to pay came along and I gathered what he had meant. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| ReneeMona Diglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5341 days ago 864 posts - 1274 votes Speaks: Dutch*, EnglishC2 Studies: French | Message 6 of 74 03 May 2010 at 2:40am | IP Logged | ||
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There's also Dutch courage which is the courage you get when you're drunk, Dutch wife and Dutch widow, one of which means a prostitute, and Dubble Dutch which means gibberish.
I believe these expressions were coined during the Anglo-Dutch wars (1652-1784) when the Dutch and the English vied for the domination of world trade. The Dutch controlled the seas between the second A-D war (1665-1667) and 1713 and this was probably the period during which these expressions came into being. What has always puzzled me is that the Dutch were defeated in the first war, the Dutch republic eventually waned and England became the strongest nation in the region and yet Dutch has no such degrading expressions about England or the English. Well, we occasionally call bad weather "English weather" but that's technically not even untrue. I guess we were simply the more mature ones. ;-) Edited by ReneeMona on 13 May 2010 at 9:48pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| dolly Senior Member United States Joined 5796 days ago 191 posts - 376 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Latin | Message 7 of 74 03 May 2010 at 3:35am | IP Logged | ||
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The English coined insulting nicknames for the original Celtic peoples. A "Welsh comb" is four fingers and the thumb. To "welch [archaic spelling of Welsh] on a debt" is to default on an obligation.
A "gyp" is a rip-off. An "Indian giver" demands the return of a gift. A paper or plastic sack with personal belongings inside is called "Puerto-Rican luggage" in New York and "Irish luggage" in Boston. Not negative, but a "Mexican standoff" is a stalemate or impasse where no one can emerge as a clear winner. "Turning Japanese" was a popular Brit-Pop song in the 1980's. It's a slang term for the facial expression at the moment of orgasm. Which reminds me... A "French kiss" is an open-mouthed kiss with the tongue in the other person's mouth. But in France they just faire la bise. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| orion Senior Member United States Joined 7027 days ago 622 posts - 678 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Russian | Message 8 of 74 03 May 2010 at 4:10am | IP Logged | ||
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Sometimes the phrase "filthy as a Frenchman" is used for someone who has not bathed in a while. Likewise a "French shower" is splashing on some aftershave lotion or cologne rather than bathing.
Everyone has probably heard of Russian roulette. I am sure there are others that I just cannot think of now. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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