there was a similar thread a while back, but this one is kind of opposite.
are there any american (english/whatever) names that sound funny or mean something else in other languages?
We’re all here, because we’re not all there!
I had a friend in New Orleans who was a street musician named Banjo Mike (now,sadly, deceased). He used to come in after a long day in the Quarter and vent,“All those goddamed Japanese tourists keep laughin’ at me! Cause “Banjo” means “toilet” in Jap !!!”
“Did they tip good?”, we asked.
“Yeah, and extra, cause they liked to say my name out loud.”
“So, what’s yer problem???”
“I think its the cameras.”
Well, in Japanese ‘ringo’ means apple. Which is funny because Ringo Starr was with Apple, if I recall correctly.
Also, I always feel strange when I read ‘Jean’. In French it’s a man’s name equivalent to ‘John’, and it’s pronounced about the same way.
IIRC, during the Vietnam War USAF planes regularly bombed an industrial suburb of Hanoi, but this was never mentioned on the news. No, it wasn’t a conspiracy to cover up the bombing; it was just that the anchormen were reluctant to report the bombing of Phuc Yeu.
Once some people in my office were planning a farewell luncheon. They were choosing between HoJo’s (Howard Johnson’s) and Chi Chi’s (Mexican).
They mention the names to one of my office neighbors, and he cracks up. He then explained that when he grew up in Spain, “hojo” was slang for “ass” and “chichis” meant “tits”. So they were asking him if he wanted Ass or Tits for lunch. :)
I’ve heard the same thing about Chichis. Don’t know why they called it that. Maybe it’s the Spanish equivalent of Hooters. Hadn’t heard of HoJos. There was a Japanese clan called the Hojos; Spanophones must get a kick out of learning about them.
I remember reading somewhere that the Iranian press was really thrown for a loop during the '96 elections, because “dole” is Persian for “penis”, and what with Iran’s puritanical restrictions on the press and all… Now, maybe Clinton’s exploits aren’t exactly something they’d approve of, but at least they can just ignore those. But if Dole had won… What were they going to do, refer to him as “President Bob”?
In the native language of the Pygmy, “metroshane” means “Go stick your head in a pig”.
Like we couldn’t see that one coming!
You’re that guy! haha
We’re all here, because we’re not all there!
Tracer, you a douglas adams fan?
Don’t forget, Grand Titauns (sp?) means huge tits in french.
Tetons.
God is dead. -Nietzsche
Nietzsche is dead. -God
Neitzsche is God. -Dead