# "American": does it describe any foreign nouns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2002, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538 "2002-09-15T13:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Art\_Metzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Art\_Metzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Metzer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/1 "2002-09-15T13:37:57Z")
In American English, some nouns’ ascriptive adjectives are non-U.S. nationalities, like: o French manicure o African violet o Canadian bacon o Russian roulette o German measles I was wondering, do other languages similarly describe some specific things with/as “American”? If so, which languages, and how does the adjective “American” narrow the meaning of the noun it’s describing? Art ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/2 "2002-09-15T13:44:36Z")
American cheese ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/3 "2002-09-15T14:22:32Z")
In Japan, American coffee is coffee with extra water added, making it weaker. I think I’ve seen some non-Japanese books on coffee describe espresso americano the same way, so it may exist in Europe as well. ---
**Author:** ![grettle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@grettle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grettle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/4 "2002-09-15T14:29:10Z")
I have heard (from my former french teacher, who was in fact French) that they say “Excuse my American.” as we would say, “Excuse my French.” ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/5 "2002-09-15T14:53:09Z")
In Eurpope Post WWII you could get a steak tartare seasoned with onions and whatnot called “American Steak” or somesuch. Named so because it was quite popular with American soldiers in those parts. There’s this running joke about American tourists in Europe ordering “American Steak” thinking they were going to get a T-bone and instead wound up with steak tartare. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/6 "2002-09-15T15:01:08Z")
And what Americans call “french fries” and Brits call “chips” are often called “American fries” in many parts of the world. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/7 "2002-09-15T15:28:37Z")
Interestingly, we had a very similar question barely a month ago. You can find the answers we got that time at [Do other countries label any products “American”? (Think “French” fries.)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131149) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/8 "2002-09-15T15:34:42Z")
In parts of Latin America, you need to ask for _cafe estilo americano_ if you want coffee with just a little bit of milk. If you ask for _cafe con leche_ it will be coffee mixed about half and half with hot milk. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/9 "2002-09-15T15:37:32Z")
In Belgium at the frituurs (“french fry” stands-- what the Dutch sometimes call Vlaamse frites (Flemish fries) they have a souce called “Americain” sauce-- it looks red with chunks, like a meat marinara? I haven’t tried it, though. I think it’s been mentioned a few times here that in the Netherlands a “Dutch treat” is called an “American party.” Also, I’ve seen sausage stands sell “American hot dogs” as opposed to bratwurst And such-- it seems to refer to the worst kind of hot dog imaginable and should not be eaten, I’ve found. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/10 "2002-09-15T15:38:04Z")
When I get “cafe Americain” in France, it is typically horribly black and oily coffee, which can only be rescued by about 5 each Equal and Sweet & Low packets. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/11 "2002-09-15T15:39:52Z")
In a party, during the “quart d’heure americain” (american quarter of an hour), girls must invite boys to dance… A famous recipe for lobster is the “homard a l’americaine” I never heard about “excuse my american”, by the way… ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/12 "2002-09-15T15:48:13Z")
In a party, during the “quart d’heure americain” (american quarter of an hour), girls must invite boys to dance… A famous recipe for lobster is the “homard a l’americaine” I never heard about “excuse my american”, by the way… ---
**Author:** ![Sparc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Sparc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparc)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/13 "2002-09-15T16:17:35Z")
\*\*\*Sauce Americaine \*\*\*(American Sauce), which is a mayonnaise and tomato based hot-sauce served with lobster, hence also _ **Hommard à l’Americain** _ (Lobster the American way) In an unprecedented move to celebrate things American above themselves and things French this is a phonetic corruption that happened in France some time in the early 20th century. The original name for the dish is _Sauce Armoricaine_, and _Hommard à l’Armoricaine_ which alludes back to the pre 7th century name for what we know as Brittany, namely _Armorique_, or _Armor_. Purists still call the dishes _Armoricaine_. In 1931 Maurice Edmond Saillant, a.k.a. Curnonsky the French writer and ‘the prince of gastonomy’ said: [quote] “Le Homard à l’Americaine est un Bâtard de la typographie.” “Lobster the American Way is a bastard of typography.” [quote] Which allegedly, when published as his opinion in The London Times set the paper aflame with angry replies from proud English speakers and ex-pat Americans. The final irony of this whole affair is that the sauce most probably originated in Provence (South of France) since almost all of the ingredients were only available there back in the day. It is most certain that the Armorican Celts knew nothing about it since they didn’t even know what a tomato was. In fact the name probably plays on the fact that Brittany used to be the main source for lobster in France - that was before we ate them all into extinction. As for the American Steak I should point out that this usually denotes a barely fried Steak Tartar. It is alleged that it is thus called because the GIs when served Steak Tartar where prone to go; “Hey Frenchy. Waats up with the raw burger? Ya wanna throw that thing in the fryin’ pan before you serve up, ya know!” and send it back out, whereupon the kitchen would huff and puff little, roll there eyes and fry both sides quickly so that it looked like a hamburger at least - still raw in the middle though. Only the French know how to eat meat the proper way! Sparc ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/14 "2002-09-15T17:14:11Z")
Here in the UK you can get " American Cream Soda " which is another name for Ice Cream Soda - a rather strange tasting fizzy drink. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-does-it-describe-any-foreign-nouns/128538/15 "2002-09-15T17:27:40Z")
Another example is American footbal, used to distinguish the NFL’s sport from what the rest of the world calls “football” (usually what Americans call soccer).