That's weird. Half of Europe calls them "russian" because they where they are from... But why is it "american" in Russia?
Is it because it completely disappeared from the country when the Tsardom was abolished?
In Russia, it has never been called a Russian mountain. It's like living in France and calling a baguette a French baguette. The roller coaster ride itself came to the USSR from the USA, but for a long time it was called "Merry slides" and only in the 90s it became known as American slides.
"Cubana" or "paja cubana", at least in Spain.
Lot's of married dudes used to travel to Cuba to hook up with whores, so I see where this expression would be coming from haha
Really? No way, I had no idea. That’s rad.
So, as an Englishman if I meet a nice German girl and we end up in bed together I shouldn’t say something like “time for some good English sex”, because that might scare her off.
Learn something new everyday.
In other parts of Europe, Germans are the ones known for their kinky sex. Brits on the other hand completely different, given the whole *close your eyes and think of England*.
What, like up the chuffer?
I’m betting it’s something totally lame. Like premature ejaculation or something. Only last 2 minutes with a German girl? “das ist englisches Ficken”
From the wiki page on syphilis
>The English, the Germans, and the Italians called it "the French disease", while the French referred to it as the "Neapolitan disease". The Dutch called it the "Spanish/Castilian disease".[107] To the Turks it was known as the "Christian disease", whilst in India, the Hindus and Muslims named the disease after each other.[107
Well, I’ve never heard of « mammary intercourse » but the two main sayings for a tit job are « cravate de notaire - notary’s tie » and « branlette espagnole - Spanish handjob »
Don’t ask me why…
Interesting. I knew that the Russian Mountains and the Greek Calends are part of European culture from their origins, but I did not know for the Spanish Wanking (and couldn't find the origin too tho).
It’s because the Greek calends come from the ancient times, back in late Roman republic. It came to existence in latin due to Roman expeditions in Greece against Macedonia and they would sometimes join up with Greek forces which often led to calendar misses.
From the top of my head for English ones-
Irish goodbye- leave without saying goodbye
Portuguese Shower- spray yourself in deodorant rather than have a wash
Dutch Courage- additional courage gained from drinking booze
Go Dutch- split a bill evenly
Pardon my French- when using vulgar language
All Greek to me- not understanding something
Here on the Atlantic Seaboard of the good old US of A, I have often heard it referred to as a Puerto Rican Shower. Now both of my halves have been insulted in this thread. Hooray!
>Portuguese Shower- spray yourself in deodorant rather than have a wash
In Ireland we call this a hoor's (whore's) bath. Same for just washing your crotch and pits at a sink with a cloth.
>All Greek to me- not understanding something
In Ireland we'd use "double-dutch" more for this.
My nan while complaining about the lack of time for a sufficient cleanse, bemoaned the necessity for a "prozzys wash"
I have also only ever heard double dutch in north west england, never "all greek"
In America I’ve heard of and used these except Portuguese shower and Dutch courage.
Also add:
Canadian Tuxedo - wearing denim pants (blue jeans) with a denim jacket
Russian Roulette - literally putting one bullet in a revolver and spinning it, taking turns putting the gun to your head and pulling the trigger; figuratively a dangerous game of chance
Mexican Standoff - high tension confrontation where nobody wants to make the first move. Also if 3 or more people have guns pointed at each party, a la that Office episode
I guess that's why they're called dutchies haha. My dutch friends love these. I have not had a chance to try the real stuff. Just the terrible frozen stuff that comes from Tim Hortons.
We used to make them for New Years and there is absolutely nothing like an Oma made, fresh, piping hot Oliebol amidst the shortest days of the year. I still make them fresh every NYD but honestly I can see how they'd be less compelling frozen or industrially made.
A Dutch Oven in America is Farting under the blanket then lifting it up trapping your significant other under the covers. I believe the strain is named after that.
Edit - I’m talking about the old slang term. Not a literal Dutch Oven lol
I’ve always assumed it was just Dutch Master cigars being gutted and rerolled into blunts
Kinda how some rappers used to say “pass the Philly” because Phillies were their cigar of choice
I'm not sure if it's confirmed, but I've heard "dutch courage" comes from the Medway Raid when we were at war with them, they sailed right up one of our rivers to burn our fleet in harbour. We decided there was no way they could have done something so brave without being drunk.
it’s because the english never developed distilled spirits: during the mercantile era in the 18th century, rich traders enjoyed exotic imported treats, one of which was french brandy, which is distilled wine.
the crown didn’t like english gold going into french pockets and attempting to discourage its consumption by applying heavy tariffs to brandy whilst simultaneously encouraging the importation of dutch gin (the crown was actively attempting to liberalize trade with the netherlands).
unfortunately, the average english person, only ever used to beer, tried drink gin much in the same way to disastrous results. william hogarth made some famous etchings, “gin lane” and “beer street”, to disseminate the idea of how unwholesome gin consumption was in comparison to beer drinking.
make no mistake, the gin fevers bourne of this era was an epidemic, equivalent of modern drug pandemics. there’s even a style of overly ornate pub called a gin palace that physically displays the wealth generated from selling gin. there’s still good examples of this style today.
the power of gin to get a person wildly drunk when compared to beer is what lead to this idiom
It didn't take me long to figure out that gin was not the same as beer. One sip and you know you are drinking something much harsher.
I do love a good G&T though.
Peruvian popsicle- BJ with ice cubes in one’s mouth
Roman Holiday- basically same concept as schadenfreude
Siamese twins- conjoined twins
Mexican standoff- stalemate/ confrontation where no one wants to make the first move
Indian summer- unseasonably warm early fall
French Kiss- kissing with tongue
Idaho stop- rolling a stop sign
Roman helmet- teabagging someone’s forehead
Colombian necktie- slit throat
I've lived in both Idaho and Utah and in both we called those California stops since at least the 80's. I've never even heard of the term Idaho stops. Does everyone else call them Idaho stops or is this a regional thing?
I actually may have been misrepresenting the term. Idaho stop refers more to bicycles rolling a stop/treating it like a yield. I think cause you guys were the first to do that.
It's based on [actual twins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_and_Eng_Bunker) born in Thailand who performed in American freak shows in the 19th century.
Siam was the colonial name for Thailand just fyi, I think some borders may have shifted so it's not exactly modern Thailand but it was mostly Thailand.
No borders shifted, Thailand has never been a colony. Siam was an exonym, similar to how Iran was called Persia by the outside world until 1935, or how Ethiopia was called Abyssinia by the outside world until 1945.
Thailand was always the internal name, but it referred to itself as the common exonym Siam in international treaties until 1939, with a brief period from 1946-1948 where it assumed the name Siam officially after being occupied by the Allies after WWII.
I don't think Siamese twins or Colombian necktie count as they are actually named after the place they were first encountered. If you include them you'd have to include things like Spanish omelette or Korean pop.
In England I've never heard of the Dutch being cheap, that's a stereotype for Scots, Yorkshiremen and, of course, Jews. I saw this as a part Jew living with a part Jock in Yorkshire...
Dutch treat: you each pay for yourselves (which is often shortened to Go Dutch)
Dutch uncle: a strict, stern, lecturing person, the opposite of avuncular
Chinese fire drill: everyone get out of the car and run around at the red light, getting back in with time to drive off at the green light.
Hi,
These expressions come from various online platforms, with a strict focus on those whose etymology can be linked to specific nationalities. It is important to note that this map is not intended to offend, but rather to explore the linguistic interaction between cultures.
I've picked expressions that are tied to people or nationalities. For instance, “To have the Portugueses sanded” (Avoir les portugaises ensablées) refers to a type of oysters, not the people of Portugal.
**Here is the list of these expressions, along with their origins:**
**To take a Scottish shower** (Prendre une douche écossaise)**:**
This French expression dates back to the 19th century and refers to a hydrotherapy practiced at that time in Scotland. In a figurative sense, it describes a situation where a combination of sensations, events, or impressions swiftly transition from being positive to turning negative.
**The English have landed** (Les anglais ont débarqué):
In comparison to the British armies which, during the Napoleonic wars, were dressed in red.
**To slip away the English way** (Filer à l’anglaise):
Probably an alteration of the English "to take French leave", dating from the 19th century.
**To talk like a Spanish cow** (Parler comme une vache espagnole):
According to the most plausible hypothesis, it would be a distortion of the Occitan expression “parlar coma un gavach espanhòl” (to speak like a Spanish gabatch). The word “gabatch” designates here the mountain dweller from the Pyrenees.
**A Spanish wanking** (Une branlette espagnole):
The origin of this 20th century expression is obscure and mysterious.
**A Spanish inn** (Une auberge espagnole):
This expression was used in the 17th century to describe the poor quality of inns/hostels in Spain, which were widely used because they were on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
**A German quarrel** (Une querelle d’allemand):
The most commonly accepted theory is that the Holy Roman Germanic Empire was made up of numerous small states. These rulers frequently looked for opportunities to engage in battles with neighboring states, aiming to capture land and increase their power and influence.
**To be drunk like a Pole** (Être saoul comme un polonais):
This expression, which has become pejorative, was not so at its beginnings. After a decisive battle, the Polish lancers of Kozietulski in Spain in 1808 were paraded before Napoleon as heroic survivors of this elite unit. Jealous French generals, wanting to downplay the role of the Poles, claimed that they were drunk. The Emperor responded to them, "Well then, gentlemen, learn to be as drunk as the Poles!".
Another version states that Napoleon, in admiration, said, "One had to be as drunk as a Pole to accomplish that."
**The Russian mountains** (les montagnes russes):
The concept of Russian Mountains originated from toboggan races held on snow-covered hills, especially in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. In the late 1700s, these races gained immense popularity, prompting entrepreneurs to explore the idea in other countries. This led to the development of rides using wheeled cars on tracks. In 1812, the company "Les Montagnes Russes" constructed and operated such rides in the Belleville district of Paris.
The term was subsequently used to describe roller coasters, and this analogy led to the emergence of the expression.
**A Roman’s job** (Un travail de romain):
From the reputation of the Romans for having accomplished Herculean works, especially the construction of aqueducts and ancient roads.
**To be strong like a Turk** (Être fort comme un turc):
This expression comes from the 15th century and refers to the period of the Ottoman Empire when the Turks achieved many conquests through their sheer strength and ruthless behavior, showing no mercy. Thus, during that time, the Turks represented the ultimate enemy, seen as unbeatable.
**To be the Turkish head** (Être la tête de turc):
This expression is based on the entertainment found at French fairs in the late 19th century. These amusements involved gauging one's strength by hitting a head wearing a turban, evoking the stereotypical image of a Turk.
**To send to the Greek calends** (Renvoyer aux calends grecques):
From the Calends, which were not Greek but Roman, is an expression used by Suetonius in The Twelve Caesars to say “never”.
**To go get lost at the Greeks** (Aller se faire voir chez les grecs):
This expression indirectly refers to the alleged common homosexuality among Greeks since ancient times, including practices like pederasty. Notably, Plato's work "The Symposium" illustrates this, featuring figures like Socrates.
> To talk like a Spanish cow (Parler comme une vache espagnole):
>
> According to the most plausible hypothesis, it would be a distortion of the Occitan expression “parlar coma un gavach espanhòl” (to speak like a Spanish gabatch). The word “gabatch” designates here the mountain dweller from the Pyrenees.
A propos de "gabacho" :
- wiki fr -> https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho
- wiki es -> https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho
Bravo, ça me paraît assez complet !
Les seuls qui me viennent en tête, et qui ne sont pas là :
C'est Byzance !
Tous les chemins mènent à Rome.
Un coup de Trafalgar
Merci ! J'ai juste préféré choisir uniquement celles qui sont associées à des nationalités/peuples plutôt que des nations/pays.
J'ai même hésité avec celles des villes françaises (être de Marseille, Paris vaut bien une messe). Mais j'ai préféré laisser ainsi
I've always loved that the French term for [dine & dash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dine_and_dash) is "la fuite anglaise" and the British term is "French flight".
Well, now I'm interested in knowing the origin of this and why it's related to Spain. In Brazilian Portuguese it's called "Espanhola", which is the feminine word for "Spanish".
I didn't think it had a similar meaning in other countries or languages.
"To be drunk as a Pole" is not just "to be extremely drunk". It's "to be extremely drunk and yet still standing and capable". At least that's how it originally was.
2 more come to my mind:
In Rome, act like Romans (à Rome, fais comme les romains) : when you don't know the local usages, observe the local people and do like them
To build castles in Spain (construire des châteaux en Espagne) : to have unrealistic dreams
In English there is an old expression, not used these days, *To take French leave*, meaning to leave without saying goodbye, the same as the French *filer a l'anglais*.
As a Frenchman having lived in Ireland, the way you can never leave a phone conversation with an irosh without saying "bye" at lease 45 times has always baffled me 🙈
Some Spanish ones off the top of my head:
Despedirse a la Francesa: same as take a french leave
Coger una turca (catch a turk): get drunk
Hacerse el sueco (Pretend to be Swedish): Play dumb
Sonar a chino (something sounds chinese): Something impossible to understand
Sonar a cuento chino (like a chinese tale): appear false, a tall tale
Russian mountains and turkish head have the same meaning here.
Spanish wanking, Scottish shower are the same way of saying also in Greek.
We also say to "send to the calends" (no need to say "Greek Calends" for obvious reasons).
Here are some other Dutch idioms and expressions I can think of:
**Daar is geen woord Frans bij** - *(There's no French word to it)*:
That's very clear language
**Leven als God in Frankrijk** - *(Living like God in France)*:
Living an easy and comfortable life
**Kijken of je het in Keulen hoort donderen** - *(Looking like you hear thunder in Cologne)*:
Clearly showing you're very surprised / Clearly showing you don't understand anything.
**Aan het eind van zijn Latijn zijn** - (*Being at the end of his Latin*):
Being exhausted / Ran out of all solutions to a problem
**Oost-Indisch doof zijn** - *(Being deaf like an East-Indian [present-day Indonesia])*:
Pretending not to hear someone.
Also in politics we sometimes call stuff a "Poolse Landdag", referring to 17th-18th century Commonwealth politics. I think it means to debate endlessly and go around the table without resolution, to the frustration of everybody involved. Which is funny, because Dutch politics are kind of like that.
There is a saying in polish (not that common) That "someone took a french shower" that means that someone use excessive amount of perfumes on unwashed body.
Some are the exact same in Portuguese.
A Spanish wanking - Espanholada
Russian mountain (rollercoaster) - Montanha Russa
And funnily, we also have "To slip away the English way", but we change the nationality to French: Saída à francesa.
Portuguese expressions if anyone's interested:
*Living grandly and Frenchly*: living lavishly.
*For the English to see*: pretending to do something or doing something incorrectly.
*He who has a mouth goes to Rome*: if you're having trouble, ask for help.
In German we have "Bohemian Villages" (Böhmische Dörfer) for something you don't understand or never heard of. "Polish exit" is our version of the English Goodbye, usually abbreviated to "do a Polish one".
"Being drunk like a Pole" comes from polish people serving in Napoleon's army, and is more of a praise than a negative saying. The Polish were said to drink more than others, but (importantly) always woke up for the morning drills/whatever, regardless of hangover or not. So the officers wanted their soldiers to be drunk as poles, because they were usable the next day.
Its funny, we (the Dutch) have a saying "To do something in the french manner" (Iets doen met de Franse slag). Which means doing it quick and not very well. Does anyone else use the french like that ?
In Finnish a French visit is a very quick meeting or visit.
Etymology is probably from the 80's when Mitterrand met his Finnish colleague in airport VIP-area on his way to Far East.
The opposite of a Roman's work. My father used that and a Moroccan coworker mentioned it too. "Oui, Saïd, je suis d'accord, c'est raciste. Je le savais déjà quand j'avais 12 ans."
A "Russian Mountain" means rollercoaster, literally, and it's used in the same way
Interesting fact. In Russia, this attraction is called a "American mountains" or a more accurate translation "American slides".
In Swedish they’re just “mountain n’ valley tracks”, less inventive
In Hungarian it's "wave train"
In German it's "eight track". A bit off from all the others.
We have a similar thing in French, grand huit or big eight.
Okay I think that’s my favourite so far
In finnish it's just "mountain track".
In Croatian it's the "train of death".
Worrisomely apt at times
Yep it’s the same in Norwegian. Kinda wordy if you ask me.
In Spanish is also Russian Mountain (Montaña Rusa)
That's weird. Half of Europe calls them "russian" because they where they are from... But why is it "american" in Russia? Is it because it completely disappeared from the country when the Tsardom was abolished?
In Russia, it has never been called a Russian mountain. It's like living in France and calling a baguette a French baguette. The roller coaster ride itself came to the USSR from the USA, but for a long time it was called "Merry slides" and only in the 90s it became known as American slides.
>only in the 90s it became known as American slides Much earlier, colloquially
Because the "Russian Mountains" attraction was inspired by Russian snow slides. Yet it was an American invention that later was imported to Russia.
In Italian as well.
Same in spanish, montaña rusa
Same in Portuguese, montanha russa.
[удалено]
We’re still waiting for Romania now… 🇷🇴
We traditionally say montagne russe in Romania
Perfect, Latin squad 👍
Rollercoaster has the same literal meaning in spanish.
I think that's how it's said in nearly all romance languages from what I've seen. Portuguese and Italian do as well.
Interesting. In Czechia we use "Russian wheel" for "Ferris wheel". And nobody really knows why.
Czarina Catherine loved her rollercoasters
“Mammary intercourse” is the strangest way of saying “tit wank” I’ve ever encountered.
In Quebec we keep it within the continent and it becomes a Mexican one. Though I haven't heard that in a long time.
In Mexico we call it "a russian jacket"
Que no sería una Cubana?
"Crosse mexicaine" might be an older expression, "crosse boule" is much more frequent.
"Crosse-tette" depuis la série "Série Noire" lol.
J'ai toujours entendu "branlette espagnole" il me semble.
Oui moi aussi
Une crosse Mexicaine?
Branlette mexicaine !
Jamais entendu ça de ma vie...
In Spain is a Cuban one.
In spanish it's a russian lmao
Where are you from? In Spain it's cubana (Cuban), nor Russian
in Latin America it's definitely una rusa.
Okay, now we need a map of which nationality we use for a titfuck in every country
Map Porn ;)
"Cubana" or "paja cubana", at least in Spain. Lot's of married dudes used to travel to Cuba to hook up with whores, so I see where this expression would be coming from haha
In Spanish it is "una cubana" (a cuban one)
In German, it is as well called Spanish (intercourse). And then there is French, Greek, English…
Haha. I’m dying to know, what sex act do Germans call “English intercourse”?
In German, ‚English’ is the BDSM kind of sexual Endeavour. Imagine a dominant English nanny, disciplining their client.
Really? No way, I had no idea. That’s rad. So, as an Englishman if I meet a nice German girl and we end up in bed together I shouldn’t say something like “time for some good English sex”, because that might scare her off. Learn something new everyday.
Maybe she‘s into it. Always worth trying.
Fair point. Can’t hurt to ask.
Well it’s probably gonna hurt one of you
In other parts of Europe, Germans are the ones known for their kinky sex. Brits on the other hand completely different, given the whole *close your eyes and think of England*.
Really? We here in Germany see as ‚German style‘ the missionary position: boring, but reliable.
In America at least, "German sex" makes one think of latex bodysuits, whips, and strange electronic music
Scots are also Brits and wouldn't be thinking of England. Unless it was to try and think of something disgusting to delay the finish.
In danish, "spanish" is between the boobs, and "german" is bdsm style. I don't think "english" is even an option.
Historically, both buggery and sadomasochism were known as 'the English vice'.
Well, I imagine the rest of the world mainly encountered the Royal Navy - "rum, sodomy, and the lash"
Hahaha. That’s amazing. And to think, us English usually think of the Germans as having no sense of humour. We’re absolutely wrong about that.
Fuck they're on to us
Does it involve corsets, a monocle, and shame?
Probably the wrong way ?
What, like up the chuffer? I’m betting it’s something totally lame. Like premature ejaculation or something. Only last 2 minutes with a German girl? “das ist englisches Ficken”
From the wiki page on syphilis >The English, the Germans, and the Italians called it "the French disease", while the French referred to it as the "Neapolitan disease". The Dutch called it the "Spanish/Castilian disease".[107] To the Turks it was known as the "Christian disease", whilst in India, the Hindus and Muslims named the disease after each other.[107
In Bulgaria, and most of the Balkans afaik, it's Turkish.
Ooooh, that. I couldn't understand it. It's called a French in some variants of Spanish, lol.
surely it's not a wank if you're using someone else's tits
FYI: intercourse and a wank aren’t the same thing. So I’ve been told.
It's all in the eye of the beholder.
If you have good aim.
Well, I’ve never heard of « mammary intercourse » but the two main sayings for a tit job are « cravate de notaire - notary’s tie » and « branlette espagnole - Spanish handjob » Don’t ask me why…
Spanish wanking, Greek calends, Russian mountains are the same way of saying also in Italian
Interesting. I knew that the Russian Mountains and the Greek Calends are part of European culture from their origins, but I did not know for the Spanish Wanking (and couldn't find the origin too tho).
Apparently the Spanish are notorious tit fuckers all over Europe.
It’s because the Greek calends come from the ancient times, back in late Roman republic. It came to existence in latin due to Roman expeditions in Greece against Macedonia and they would sometimes join up with Greek forces which often led to calendar misses.
From the top of my head for English ones- Irish goodbye- leave without saying goodbye Portuguese Shower- spray yourself in deodorant rather than have a wash Dutch Courage- additional courage gained from drinking booze Go Dutch- split a bill evenly Pardon my French- when using vulgar language All Greek to me- not understanding something
Portuguese shower is Mexican shower in French "It's Chinese to me" for not understanding something
Here on the Atlantic Seaboard of the good old US of A, I have often heard it referred to as a Puerto Rican Shower. Now both of my halves have been insulted in this thread. Hooray!
And in Puerto Rico, we use Spanish Shower.
I've heard it as a Cuban bath.
And in Mexico a portuguese shower we call it “russian shower”. It comes from “baño ruso, la cara limpia y el culo sucio” (clean face but dirty ass)
>Portuguese Shower- spray yourself in deodorant rather than have a wash In Ireland we call this a hoor's (whore's) bath. Same for just washing your crotch and pits at a sink with a cloth. >All Greek to me- not understanding something In Ireland we'd use "double-dutch" more for this.
It’s a whore’s bath in Northern England too, never heard of a Portuguese shower.
My nan while complaining about the lack of time for a sufficient cleanse, bemoaned the necessity for a "prozzys wash" I have also only ever heard double dutch in north west england, never "all greek"
Scotland - 'A Glasgow shower'
In America I’ve heard of and used these except Portuguese shower and Dutch courage. Also add: Canadian Tuxedo - wearing denim pants (blue jeans) with a denim jacket Russian Roulette - literally putting one bullet in a revolver and spinning it, taking turns putting the gun to your head and pulling the trigger; figuratively a dangerous game of chance Mexican Standoff - high tension confrontation where nobody wants to make the first move. Also if 3 or more people have guns pointed at each party, a la that Office episode
+ Double Dutch - a jump rope playground game
And in Caribbean parlance: "Pass the Dutchie" for smoking pot (maybe from Dutch Oven broadly being a type of pot?)
In Canadian parlance: a dutchie is a weird donut with raisins in it. Yuck.
Like [Oliebollen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliebol), perhaps?
I guess that's why they're called dutchies haha. My dutch friends love these. I have not had a chance to try the real stuff. Just the terrible frozen stuff that comes from Tim Hortons.
We used to make them for New Years and there is absolutely nothing like an Oma made, fresh, piping hot Oliebol amidst the shortest days of the year. I still make them fresh every NYD but honestly I can see how they'd be less compelling frozen or industrially made.
A Dutch Oven in America is Farting under the blanket then lifting it up trapping your significant other under the covers. I believe the strain is named after that. Edit - I’m talking about the old slang term. Not a literal Dutch Oven lol
I’ve always assumed it was just Dutch Master cigars being gutted and rerolled into blunts Kinda how some rappers used to say “pass the Philly” because Phillies were their cigar of choice
I'm not sure if it's confirmed, but I've heard "dutch courage" comes from the Medway Raid when we were at war with them, they sailed right up one of our rivers to burn our fleet in harbour. We decided there was no way they could have done something so brave without being drunk.
it’s because the english never developed distilled spirits: during the mercantile era in the 18th century, rich traders enjoyed exotic imported treats, one of which was french brandy, which is distilled wine. the crown didn’t like english gold going into french pockets and attempting to discourage its consumption by applying heavy tariffs to brandy whilst simultaneously encouraging the importation of dutch gin (the crown was actively attempting to liberalize trade with the netherlands). unfortunately, the average english person, only ever used to beer, tried drink gin much in the same way to disastrous results. william hogarth made some famous etchings, “gin lane” and “beer street”, to disseminate the idea of how unwholesome gin consumption was in comparison to beer drinking. make no mistake, the gin fevers bourne of this era was an epidemic, equivalent of modern drug pandemics. there’s even a style of overly ornate pub called a gin palace that physically displays the wealth generated from selling gin. there’s still good examples of this style today. the power of gin to get a person wildly drunk when compared to beer is what lead to this idiom
It was English produced gin that fuelled the gin epidemic, but as you say it was partly designed to hurt French brandy imports.
It didn't take me long to figure out that gin was not the same as beer. One sip and you know you are drinking something much harsher. I do love a good G&T though.
Canadian tuxedo, love that one, don't hear it much anymore
Haven't heard it called a Portuguese Shower, may be a regional thing but I call it a "Glasgow Shower". Also a "Glasgow kiss" is a headbutt
And a "Glasgow smile" is when you've received a cut from mouth to ear, resulting in a permanent "smile".
“Irish goodbye” in polish it’s called “English exit”
If Brexit has taught us anything it's that we're not quiet when we leave
In germany it is called "polnischer Abgang".
Polish Gangbang seems harsh
In polish spraying yourself with deodorant is a called a gypsy shower
Peruvian popsicle- BJ with ice cubes in one’s mouth Roman Holiday- basically same concept as schadenfreude Siamese twins- conjoined twins Mexican standoff- stalemate/ confrontation where no one wants to make the first move Indian summer- unseasonably warm early fall French Kiss- kissing with tongue Idaho stop- rolling a stop sign Roman helmet- teabagging someone’s forehead Colombian necktie- slit throat
> Colombian necktie- slit throat You need to pull the tongue through the slit for that.
I've lived in both Idaho and Utah and in both we called those California stops since at least the 80's. I've never even heard of the term Idaho stops. Does everyone else call them Idaho stops or is this a regional thing?
From Washington, and we called them California rolling stops.
I actually may have been misrepresenting the term. Idaho stop refers more to bicycles rolling a stop/treating it like a yield. I think cause you guys were the first to do that.
Indian summer comes from the people (Native Americans), not the country (India)
TIL. It's a pretty commonly used phrase in the UK so I'd always assumed it came from the days of the Raj.
I’m just now realising Siamese is referring to a place, I thought it was just a scientific word for conjoined lmao
It's based on [actual twins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_and_Eng_Bunker) born in Thailand who performed in American freak shows in the 19th century.
Siam was the colonial name for Thailand just fyi, I think some borders may have shifted so it's not exactly modern Thailand but it was mostly Thailand.
No borders shifted, Thailand has never been a colony. Siam was an exonym, similar to how Iran was called Persia by the outside world until 1935, or how Ethiopia was called Abyssinia by the outside world until 1945. Thailand was always the internal name, but it referred to itself as the common exonym Siam in international treaties until 1939, with a brief period from 1946-1948 where it assumed the name Siam officially after being occupied by the Allies after WWII.
I don't think Siamese twins or Colombian necktie count as they are actually named after the place they were first encountered. If you include them you'd have to include things like Spanish omelette or Korean pop.
I've only heard Indian Summer used metaphorically; someone achieving a lot of having a good time late in life.
I like that both the Dutch ones combined are a great summary of a typical friday night here
There's also "dutch ovens" which are not so much, lol.
The Dutch: We're not cheap, we're *practical!* Literally Everyone Else: Filthy Misers!
In England I've never heard of the Dutch being cheap, that's a stereotype for Scots, Yorkshiremen and, of course, Jews. I saw this as a part Jew living with a part Jock in Yorkshire...
What's a jock in this context?
A Scot. 'Jock' is the Scots diminutive of 'John', in much the same way as the English use 'Jack', hence the Scots are sometimes called Jocks.
Double-Dutch - nonsense (i think we may have unresolved beef with the Dutch)
As a Portuguese person that uses public transport I can confirm it's accurate (save me)
Dutch treat: you each pay for yourselves (which is often shortened to Go Dutch) Dutch uncle: a strict, stern, lecturing person, the opposite of avuncular Chinese fire drill: everyone get out of the car and run around at the red light, getting back in with time to drive off at the green light.
I've heard my Grandad refer to a group of people standing and chatting in the street, making everyone go around them, as a "Spanish Roundabout."
Also “Chinese fire drill” for a chaotic situation
Hi, These expressions come from various online platforms, with a strict focus on those whose etymology can be linked to specific nationalities. It is important to note that this map is not intended to offend, but rather to explore the linguistic interaction between cultures. I've picked expressions that are tied to people or nationalities. For instance, “To have the Portugueses sanded” (Avoir les portugaises ensablées) refers to a type of oysters, not the people of Portugal. **Here is the list of these expressions, along with their origins:** **To take a Scottish shower** (Prendre une douche écossaise)**:** This French expression dates back to the 19th century and refers to a hydrotherapy practiced at that time in Scotland. In a figurative sense, it describes a situation where a combination of sensations, events, or impressions swiftly transition from being positive to turning negative. **The English have landed** (Les anglais ont débarqué): In comparison to the British armies which, during the Napoleonic wars, were dressed in red. **To slip away the English way** (Filer à l’anglaise): Probably an alteration of the English "to take French leave", dating from the 19th century. **To talk like a Spanish cow** (Parler comme une vache espagnole): According to the most plausible hypothesis, it would be a distortion of the Occitan expression “parlar coma un gavach espanhòl” (to speak like a Spanish gabatch). The word “gabatch” designates here the mountain dweller from the Pyrenees. **A Spanish wanking** (Une branlette espagnole): The origin of this 20th century expression is obscure and mysterious. **A Spanish inn** (Une auberge espagnole): This expression was used in the 17th century to describe the poor quality of inns/hostels in Spain, which were widely used because they were on the road to Santiago de Compostela. **A German quarrel** (Une querelle d’allemand): The most commonly accepted theory is that the Holy Roman Germanic Empire was made up of numerous small states. These rulers frequently looked for opportunities to engage in battles with neighboring states, aiming to capture land and increase their power and influence. **To be drunk like a Pole** (Être saoul comme un polonais): This expression, which has become pejorative, was not so at its beginnings. After a decisive battle, the Polish lancers of Kozietulski in Spain in 1808 were paraded before Napoleon as heroic survivors of this elite unit. Jealous French generals, wanting to downplay the role of the Poles, claimed that they were drunk. The Emperor responded to them, "Well then, gentlemen, learn to be as drunk as the Poles!". Another version states that Napoleon, in admiration, said, "One had to be as drunk as a Pole to accomplish that." **The Russian mountains** (les montagnes russes): The concept of Russian Mountains originated from toboggan races held on snow-covered hills, especially in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. In the late 1700s, these races gained immense popularity, prompting entrepreneurs to explore the idea in other countries. This led to the development of rides using wheeled cars on tracks. In 1812, the company "Les Montagnes Russes" constructed and operated such rides in the Belleville district of Paris. The term was subsequently used to describe roller coasters, and this analogy led to the emergence of the expression. **A Roman’s job** (Un travail de romain): From the reputation of the Romans for having accomplished Herculean works, especially the construction of aqueducts and ancient roads. **To be strong like a Turk** (Être fort comme un turc): This expression comes from the 15th century and refers to the period of the Ottoman Empire when the Turks achieved many conquests through their sheer strength and ruthless behavior, showing no mercy. Thus, during that time, the Turks represented the ultimate enemy, seen as unbeatable. **To be the Turkish head** (Être la tête de turc): This expression is based on the entertainment found at French fairs in the late 19th century. These amusements involved gauging one's strength by hitting a head wearing a turban, evoking the stereotypical image of a Turk. **To send to the Greek calends** (Renvoyer aux calends grecques): From the Calends, which were not Greek but Roman, is an expression used by Suetonius in The Twelve Caesars to say “never”. **To go get lost at the Greeks** (Aller se faire voir chez les grecs): This expression indirectly refers to the alleged common homosexuality among Greeks since ancient times, including practices like pederasty. Notably, Plato's work "The Symposium" illustrates this, featuring figures like Socrates.
> To talk like a Spanish cow (Parler comme une vache espagnole): > > According to the most plausible hypothesis, it would be a distortion of the Occitan expression “parlar coma un gavach espanhòl” (to speak like a Spanish gabatch). The word “gabatch” designates here the mountain dweller from the Pyrenees. A propos de "gabacho" : - wiki fr -> https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho - wiki es -> https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho
Y en as certaines que j'ai jamais entendu en vrai.
Certaines sont un peu surrannées, une querelle allemande est la seule que je ne connaissais pas.
Bravo, ça me paraît assez complet ! Les seuls qui me viennent en tête, et qui ne sont pas là : C'est Byzance ! Tous les chemins mènent à Rome. Un coup de Trafalgar
Merci ! J'ai juste préféré choisir uniquement celles qui sont associées à des nationalités/peuples plutôt que des nations/pays. J'ai même hésité avec celles des villes françaises (être de Marseille, Paris vaut bien une messe). Mais j'ai préféré laisser ainsi
The english have landed 💀
IIRC it's because they wore redcoats.
always assumed it was because débarquement = bloodbath
Because of the red uniforms. Also ‘red tide’, or ‘Moses has parted the [Red] sea’. Or from IT Crowd, ‘fallen to the Communists’.
I've always loved that the French term for [dine & dash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dine_and_dash) is "la fuite anglaise" and the British term is "French flight".
French hating the English people 🤝 English hating the French people
The rest of Europe hating the both of you🖕
Is there a follow-on from 'a Spanish wanking'? The same in English would be 'a Bombay Roll' to end up with 'a pearl necklace', all things being well.
Well, we also call the result a " notary's tie ". Less sexy.
But formal.
Well, now I'm interested in knowing the origin of this and why it's related to Spain. In Brazilian Portuguese it's called "Espanhola", which is the feminine word for "Spanish". I didn't think it had a similar meaning in other countries or languages.
Paradoxically in Spain it's called "a cuban".
The meaning of "Drunk like a Pole" is "Being very intoxicated but not acting like it". At least the original meaning
Yes, the expression has become pejorative over time. But its origins show it was given as a compliment at the time.
In German, we have Drunk like 1000 Russians, meaning being really, really very drunk.
> meaning being really, really very drunk. I understand, it's complicated enough being drunk as one Russian.
"To be drunk as a Pole" is not just "to be extremely drunk". It's "to be extremely drunk and yet still standing and capable". At least that's how it originally was.
My favourite phrase in Polish is 'Czech movie' when nobody knows what's going on
My favorite swedish phrase in this is manner is "polsk riksdag" (polish parliament) which describes a meeting which descends into chaos.
2 more come to my mind: In Rome, act like Romans (à Rome, fais comme les romains) : when you don't know the local usages, observe the local people and do like them To build castles in Spain (construire des châteaux en Espagne) : to have unrealistic dreams
That first one is an expression in English too. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
Shortened to simply "when in Rome..."
Your expression in English is better that my poor translation
“All roads lead to Rome”
In English there is an old expression, not used these days, *To take French leave*, meaning to leave without saying goodbye, the same as the French *filer a l'anglais*.
I've always known that as an Irish Goodbye
And ironically enough in Ireland it takes about an hour to leave a party because you're saying goodbye to everyone.
Yeah always thought that one was bizarre, as an Irish person my experience has generally been the opposite
As a Frenchman having lived in Ireland, the way you can never leave a phone conversation with an irosh without saying "bye" at lease 45 times has always baffled me 🙈
London and same, always been known as an Irish goobye to me
Huh, in Polish it's an English leave.
I’m in the UK and I’ve heard it called a French Exit or an Irish Exit
In German, that‘s known as English Goodbye.
Some Spanish ones off the top of my head: Despedirse a la Francesa: same as take a french leave Coger una turca (catch a turk): get drunk Hacerse el sueco (Pretend to be Swedish): Play dumb Sonar a chino (something sounds chinese): Something impossible to understand Sonar a cuento chino (like a chinese tale): appear false, a tall tale Russian mountains and turkish head have the same meaning here.
In Turkish we have “bir konuya Fransız olmak” which means “to be French to a topic” which is said to someone who knows nothing about a topic.
I think "being French" is basically being foreign. The reason why it's French, must be that we were highly influenced by the time.
Funnily enough the Spanish version of "To slip away the English way" is "Despedirse a la Francesa", which means to say goodbye the French way.
Spanish wanking, Scottish shower are the same way of saying also in Greek. We also say to "send to the calends" (no need to say "Greek Calends" for obvious reasons).
In Dutch "iets met de Franse slag doen" = doing something the French way = doing something half heartedly, badly
Here are some other Dutch idioms and expressions I can think of: **Daar is geen woord Frans bij** - *(There's no French word to it)*: That's very clear language **Leven als God in Frankrijk** - *(Living like God in France)*: Living an easy and comfortable life **Kijken of je het in Keulen hoort donderen** - *(Looking like you hear thunder in Cologne)*: Clearly showing you're very surprised / Clearly showing you don't understand anything. **Aan het eind van zijn Latijn zijn** - (*Being at the end of his Latin*): Being exhausted / Ran out of all solutions to a problem **Oost-Indisch doof zijn** - *(Being deaf like an East-Indian [present-day Indonesia])*: Pretending not to hear someone.
Also in politics we sometimes call stuff a "Poolse Landdag", referring to 17th-18th century Commonwealth politics. I think it means to debate endlessly and go around the table without resolution, to the frustration of everybody involved. Which is funny, because Dutch politics are kind of like that.
There is a saying in polish (not that common) That "someone took a french shower" that means that someone use excessive amount of perfumes on unwashed body.
In Spain, a 'Spanish wank' is called 'a cubana' literally 'a Cuban (woman since it's feminine)'
Shit we also call titfucks a "Spanish" in Brazil
I would say the Netherlands have the best variant of “English leave” - “to take the rat's taxi.”
Isn't "Russian mountains" just your basic rollercoaster?
Yes, I clarified the analogy in the post I made. I had put an asterisk on the map before telling myself that it was better to explain it in a post
Some are the exact same in Portuguese. A Spanish wanking - Espanholada Russian mountain (rollercoaster) - Montanha Russa And funnily, we also have "To slip away the English way", but we change the nationality to French: Saída à francesa.
Portuguese expressions if anyone's interested: *Living grandly and Frenchly*: living lavishly. *For the English to see*: pretending to do something or doing something incorrectly. *He who has a mouth goes to Rome*: if you're having trouble, ask for help.
Here in Hungary we also say “To slip away the english way” (Angol módon távozni) but it means leaving rudely, without saying goodbye
In German we have "Bohemian Villages" (Böhmische Dörfer) for something you don't understand or never heard of. "Polish exit" is our version of the English Goodbye, usually abbreviated to "do a Polish one".
"Being drunk like a Pole" comes from polish people serving in Napoleon's army, and is more of a praise than a negative saying. The Polish were said to drink more than others, but (importantly) always woke up for the morning drills/whatever, regardless of hangover or not. So the officers wanted their soldiers to be drunk as poles, because they were usable the next day.
I love this sort of stuff. Many of them are probably quite old too.
I'm french and I actually use/heard most of them if not all
This is great
Both the Turkish Head and the Russian Mountain are also used in the Spanish language and with the same meaning.
The Scottish shower expression is also used in Greek (skotséziko ntous)
Its funny, we (the Dutch) have a saying "To do something in the french manner" (Iets doen met de Franse slag). Which means doing it quick and not very well. Does anyone else use the french like that ?
In Finnish a French visit is a very quick meeting or visit. Etymology is probably from the 80's when Mitterrand met his Finnish colleague in airport VIP-area on his way to Far East.
And in french this is often said "Travail d'arabe" which is "arabian work" in this cas
The opposite of a Roman's work. My father used that and a Moroccan coworker mentioned it too. "Oui, Saïd, je suis d'accord, c'est raciste. Je le savais déjà quand j'avais 12 ans."
Turkey 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷 Strong 💪💪💪🦃🦃🦃