# A poncho in Sweden is called..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 25, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017 "2006-02-25T02:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/1 "2006-02-25T02:37:53Z")
A poncho! In nearly every major language, (except italian and arabic, that I can see) has the same word for the same item. Russian, German, Spanish, japanese, Dutch, Finnish & Swedes all have the same word ( different pronunciation) of this item. In Italy it is called a mantella. I find this interesting. I know the word **OK** is probably universally accepted across the board. What are other words? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/2 "2006-02-25T03:05:41Z")
“No”, I am not going to tell you. Do you think I am your “mamma”" ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/3 "2006-02-25T03:18:01Z")
But the question remains: Is that a real poncho, or is that a Sears poncho? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/4 "2006-02-25T04:07:34Z")
What came first : poncho the blanket thingie draped over the shoulders or Poncho the guys name? I have no answer to this. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/5 "2006-02-25T04:50:35Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > What came first : poncho the blanket thingie draped over the shoulders or Poncho the guys name? The man’s name is _Pancho_. It’s a nickname for _Francisco_ (which means the _Cisco_ Kid and Pancho went by different forms of the same name). Francisco was documented as a first name in Spain [by the year 1300,](http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/miguel/sahagun/sahagunNames3.html#names) so it’s likely that “Pancho” followed soon thereafter. Incidentally, the man we know as Pancho Villa was originally named Doroteo Arango, but possibly [assumed the name of a rustler who died after Arango had joined the “real” Villa’s gang.](http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.calnative.com%2Fstories%2Fn_villa.htm) According to [this page](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=p&p=23), the word _poncho_ (which is more or less pronounced PONE-cho in Spanish) was first noted in the English language in 1717. Since it was borrowed by Spanish settlers from a language spoken by Chilean Indians, it’s safe to assume the word existed as the Araucanian _pontho_ by the early sixteenth century. I’ve heard that the English words “hotel” and “taxi” are cognates of their equivalents in many (if not most) major languages. I’ll try to dig up some cites on that. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/6 "2006-02-25T04:58:25Z")
What’s the difference between a poncho and a serape? ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/7 "2006-02-25T14:56:43Z")
Heh… I thought a Poncho was an Anorakk but, come to think of it, Ponchos probably wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to wear on the Greenland icecap… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/8 "2006-02-25T15:27:07Z")
Since you are asking for facts and not opinions, I am moving this thread from IMHO to General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/9 "2006-02-25T15:40:24Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > What are other words? My SO claims that _mango_ is such a word. But I recall finding at least one exception - I just don’t recall what it was. Where is my caffeine? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/10 "2006-02-25T16:13:40Z")
> [@ThePCapeman](#): > > My SO claims that _mango_ is such a word. But I recall finding at least one exception - I just don’t recall what it was. Where is my caffeine? 😕 …and it wasn’t mango after all. It was papaya. I really shouldn’t be allowed near the computer on weekend mornings. Still no caffeine yet. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/11 "2006-02-25T17:37:20Z")
The word “hush”, is the worlds most common word, at least according to Swedish author Fredrik Lindström (a professor in norse languages or something like that). Not the actual word “hush” though, but more the sound that you make when trying to get someone to be quiet, like “ssh”. It seems to apperar in almost all languages and cultures, the theory the book presents is that it resembles the background noise a baby hears in his mothers womb from her blood flowing in her body. Not sure if I believe that theory myself. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/12 "2006-02-25T19:16:45Z")
Do Mexicans say poncho? When I bought one there the fellow I bought it from underlined that poncho was pretty much the gringo word for it. Taxi becomes “tassi” in a number of languages lacking an X. Some variation on “hotel” seems an extremely common word. At this point of course there’s also “OK” and “Coca-cola.” And “internet!” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/13 "2006-02-25T23:01:43Z")
Some years ago I attempted to answer a similar question: what word is spelled the same and has the same meaning in the most number of languages. I restricted my research to languages that used the Latin alphabet. Trademarks were explicitly ruled out, or the answer would probably have been Coke. I had a number of problems with my research, mostly that I was depending on bilingual dictionaries and the ones available to me varied widely in size, coverage, and age. The answer might have been **OK** , but most of the dictionaries didn’t have the word or spelled it differently. They also generally didn’t have a number of recent candidates, such as **modem** and **internet**. ( **Computer** would not have been a good candidate, since it has the letter C. Some languages don’t have a C or use it for a different sound, so they’d respell the word with a K.) Anyway, the best word I could find was **veto**. The runners up were **opera** and **radio**. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/14 "2006-02-25T23:12:32Z")
**Abracadabra** is a magician’s exclamation in a bushelful of languages. Steve Miller found that out accidentally when his song of that name became a global hit. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/15 "2006-02-26T00:20:44Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > But the question remains: Is that a real poncho, or is that a Sears poncho? It’s a Mexican poncho. /whips out zicon-encrusted tweezers ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/16 "2006-02-26T00:45:01Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > A poncho! > In nearly every major language, (except italian and arabic, that I can see) has the same word for the same item. > > Russian, German, Spanish, japanese, Dutch, Finnish & Swedes all have the same word ( different pronunciation) of this item. In Italy it is called a mantella. So what’s the Arabic word for poncho? ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/17 "2006-02-26T00:51:28Z")
> [@edwino](#): > > /whips out zicon-encrusted tweezers Hey! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/18 "2006-02-26T01:22:58Z")
> [@ThePCapeman](#): > > …and it wasn’t mango after all. It was papaya. I really shouldn’t be allowed near the computer on weekend mornings. Still no caffeine yet. :mad: That’s an odd claim, given that I can think of 4 names for it in Spanish alone: [ul][li] mamón (like Portuguese mamão, which is also not “papaya”), [/li][li]lechosa,[/li][li]fruta bomba (BOMB FRUIT! – my favorite), [/li]and papaya.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/19 "2006-02-26T02:59:17Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > What’s the difference between a poncho and a serape? A poncho is a wide blanket with a slit in the middle through which the head is put. Think what Clint Eastwood’s _Dollar_ movie character wears. A serape on the other hand, is narrower, has no slit, and is worn on one shoulder. [Illustration.](http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/serape.htm) DD ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017/20 "2006-02-26T04:34:00Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > A poncho is a wide blanket with a slit in the middle through which the head is put. Think what Clint Eastwood’s _Dollar_ movie character wears. > > A serape on the other hand, is narrower, has no slit, and is worn on one shoulder. [Illustration.](http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/serape.htm) > DD The proper term in Mexican dialect is _s **a** rape_ and it is a cape type garment with a hole for the head, like what clint Eastwood wore. A _poncho_ is a blanket. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poncho-in-sweden-is-called/346017.md?page=2)