# National Nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928 "2007-11-18T16:07:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/1 "2007-11-18T16:07:48Z")
The British will often refer jokingly to the French as _the frogs_ and the French in return often refer to their northernly neighbors as _les rosbifs_. So do other nations have nicknames for other countries and if so are any food themed as the French-British versions ? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/2 "2007-11-18T16:11:26Z")
French: cheeseheads Germans: sausage-eaters, krauts Americans (to Germans): peanut butter eaters Mexicans: beaners Irish: spuds ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/3 "2007-11-18T16:16:31Z")
Ever since the Hundred Years’ War, the French have nicknamed British soldiers \<\\>. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/4 "2007-11-18T16:20:15Z")
I was just trying to recall the nickname for Québecois in France, which was meant to evoke their notorious sweet tooth. It’s _les pepsis_. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/5 "2007-11-18T16:25:23Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] French: cheeseheads Germans: sausage-eaters, krauts Americans (to Germans): peanut butter eaters Mexicans: beaners Irish: spuds [/QUOTE] Krauts is the only one I know. Who calls the French “cheeseheads”? And as for “spuds” I can see the link but I’ve never heard of anyone calling an Irish person a “spud”. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/6 "2007-11-18T16:36:12Z")
Yanks Limeys ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/7 "2007-11-18T18:05:29Z")
[QUOTE=Ponster] Krauts is the only one I know. Who calls the French “cheeseheads”? And as for “spuds” I can see the link but I’ve never heard of anyone calling an Irish person a “spud”. [/QUOTE] Nor have I. Spud is certainly a nickname for those with the surname Murphy, and that would include many Irishmen, but that’s the only context I’ve heard it in. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/8 "2007-11-18T18:11:54Z")
One foodie one I know of: Bermudians - Onions ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/9 "2007-11-19T03:10:40Z")
Kiwiland ---
**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/10 "2007-11-19T03:30:51Z")
indos for Indonesian merkins for Americans Brits, poms or whingeing poms for the UK sheepfuckers for our esteemed cousins in New Zealand ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/11 "2007-11-19T03:40:38Z")
Swedes: Herringchokers ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/12 "2007-11-19T04:17:04Z")
Germans call Americans “Amis.” It’s slightly offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Polymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f14d63/32.png) [@Polymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/13 "2007-11-19T04:44:48Z")
[QUOTE=Eolbo] whingeing [/QUOTE] I keep seeing this term online lately. How is it pronounced? I heard it means the same as “whining”. But it looks like it’s pronounced like it rhymes with “binging”. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/14 "2007-11-19T05:06:14Z")
Aren’t French-Canadians jokingly referred to as “pea-soup eaters?” I thought Cheeseheads was a term for people from Wisconsin? Never heard of Spuds-as-Irishmen. I’m familiar with most of the others listed. Although, not the “peanut-butter eaters” or “Amis.” ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/15 "2007-11-19T05:11:31Z")
Canada: Canucks ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/16 "2007-11-19T05:12:56Z")
Seppos = Americans ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/17 "2007-11-19T05:15:25Z")
[QUOTE=Polymer] I keep seeing this term online lately. How is it pronounced? I heard it means the same as “whining”. But it looks like it’s pronounced like it rhymes with “binging”. :eek: [/QUOTE] You’d be correct. It rhymes with binge and singe. I think there’s a subtle difference between “whinge” and “whine”. To me, whining hints more at the actual irritating _sound_ of the action (like a tired kid in a supermarket), but whingeing is more the content (like an angry letter to the editor). ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/18 "2007-11-19T05:37:07Z")
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe] Germans call Americans “Amis.” It’s slightly offensive. [/QUOTE] Interesting, because “amis” in French means “friends”. I guess I could call Americans that. I believe the French call Americans “Amerloques”, but I’m not sure how common it is. In Canada, francophones call anglophones “têtes carrées” or “squareheads”. In return, anglophones call francophones “frogs”. (Yes, as the OP mentions it also refers to the French, and they were probably the original recipients.) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/19 "2007-11-19T07:57:18Z")
Israelis often refer to Arabs as “Cousins.” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928/20 "2007-11-19T11:01:46Z")
Scots=Jocks Irish=Micks Welsh=Taffs English=Godzone Aussies= :dubious: :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-nicknames/426928.md?page=2)