# Mort aux Boches ! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200 "2001-03-23T19:57:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/1 "2001-03-23T19:57:23Z")
I know the derisive French term for the Germans during WWII was “Les Boches” (maybe “Krauts” and “Huns” didn’t sound right), but I haven’t been able to find the etymology of the term. Does that mean something specific that’s so nasty it isn’t in a French-English dictionary? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/2 "2001-03-23T22:51:40Z")
“Boche” is also an English word which I think was more common during WWI than WWII. It derives, of course, from the French “Boche”, which in turn is from French slang “alboche” "which meant “German”. I don’t know where “alboche” came from. One guess I’ve seen is it that it was formed from allemand (German) + caboche (big head). I’m not convinced of that. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/3 "2001-03-23T23:00:47Z")
I don’t think there’s a lot of agreement amongst french scholars on this one. I found two web pages that had the same explanation: BOCHE : mot familier et négatif, apparu fin XIXème . Sens : “tête de bois”, d’après un mot argotique allemand (Allemoche \< Alboche) “Busch” in german means “bush” or “shrub”. So Alboche would be derived from “allemand” and “busch” I guess? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/4 "2001-03-24T03:17:47Z")
I’m wondering if -oche is a sort of multi-purpose suffix in French, used to make normal words sound “slangy” - e.g. valise (suitcase) -\> valoche television -\> teloche ? -\> moche (ugly) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/5 "2001-03-24T04:06:57Z")
Maybe the French just decided to make up a meaningless word that everybody will be puzzled about and say it with a typical French superior sneer. It could more effective than a meaningful insult. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/6 "2001-03-24T04:23:46Z")
I found a site [Unconventional French suffixes](http://www.phil.uni-sb.de/FR/Romanistik/raasch/salus/gueho/chron09.htm) (in French) that says the suffix _-boche_ was common at the end of the 19th century. It gives as examples alboche for allemand (German) astiboche for asticot (maggot) italboche for italien (Italian) rigolboche for rigolo (revolver) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/7 "2001-03-24T09:19:15Z")
Good find bibliophage! Except that _rigolo_ means _funny_, not _revolver_. DarrenS, you will notice that the _oche_ suffix is also mentioned at bibliophage’s page. Yes, _oche_ is used in french as a common “slang” ending, even nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/8 "2001-03-24T18:01:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\*Except that _rigolo_ means _funny_, not _revolver_. \*\* Well, since the other three examples were nouns, I assumed he meant the noun **rigolo**. From my Petit Larousse > [@](#): > > **RIGOLO, OTE** adj. et n. _Pop._ Plaisant et amusant. ||— N.m. _Pop._ revolver Please correct me if I’m misunderstanding something; my French is far from perfect. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/9 "2001-03-24T19:13:57Z")
You are both right, apparently. Rigolo usually means funny. Never heard it meaning revolver though, but I checked in the Larousse, and, yup, there it is. Must be an argot term. Guess I’ll go to sleep a little less ignorant tonight. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mort-aux-boches/59200/10 "2001-03-25T00:25:00Z")
_revolver_?! LOL! Not in my neck of the woods! Never heard of it. In Canada at least, I’m 110% positive it means _funny_. In the sense of _revolver_, it’s definitely _argot_ and used by our cousins on the other side of the pond.