# Nationalities as Nouns **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625 "2008-03-08T20:12:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [March 8, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/1 "2008-03-08T20:12:42Z")
Sorry for the vague thread title. What I’m asking is this: I’ve heard of putting “English” (spin) on a rolled bowling ball, and I’ve heard of someone getting their “Irish” (temper) up. Are there other examples of Nationalities used as nouns? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/2 "2008-03-08T20:36:38Z")
I just formatted a marketing document our law firm is preparting for some middle eastern client. At one point they used the word “Quatarization” to describe some approach to private equity deveopment in that country. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/3 "2008-03-08T20:45:37Z")
Pretty much any ethnic food is, at least colloquially, referred to by a nationality as a noun. Chinese, Thai, etc. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/4 "2008-03-08T20:49:15Z")
If one is in a difficult situation you can describe it as being in Dutch. Scotch is of course an alcoholic beverage. China is a ceramic material we make plates out of (Turkey is something we eat, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with Turkey.) (Polish is something to shine with, but again that’s I believe a coincidence.) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/5 "2008-03-08T20:59:24Z")
Never french a zombie! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/6 "2008-03-08T21:15:37Z")
I spread an afghan over my ottoman every time I set a piece of china on it. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/7 "2008-03-08T21:21:16Z")
I’ve been known to Welsh on a bet. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/8 "2008-03-08T21:39:31Z")
I’ve been known to put a Chilé in my chili. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/9 "2008-03-08T21:44:25Z")
Danish (a type of pastry). Japan (a type of black varnish) ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/10 "2008-03-08T22:11:58Z")
[QUOTE=HeyHomie] I’ve heard of putting “English” (spin) on a rolled bowling ball . . . [/QUOTE] I’ve only heard this one with reference to billiards and pool and it’s always confused me. Anyone know the etymology on this term? ---
**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:** [March 8, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/11 "2008-03-08T22:40:34Z")
[QUOTE=Daerlyn] I’ve only heard this one with reference to billiards and pool and it’s always confused me. Anyone know the etymology on this term? [/QUOTE] All I do know is that we don’t use this term in England. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/12 "2008-03-08T22:49:36Z")
It’s all Greek to me. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/13 "2008-03-08T23:07:01Z")
Never french a zombie! I’ve been known to Welsh on a bet. Those are both being used as verbs ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/14 "2008-03-08T23:11:04Z")
[QUOTE=Daerlyn] I’ve only heard this one with reference to billiards and pool and it’s always confused me. Anyone know the etymology on this term? [/QUOTE] > **[Search 'english' on etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=english)** > > Search results for 'english' on etymonline > [@](#): > > “spin imparted to a ball” (as in billiards), 1860, from Fr. anglé “angled,” which is similar to Anglais “English.” ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/15 "2008-03-08T23:16:37Z")
[QUOTE=OldGuy] … (Turkey is something we eat, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with Turkey.) … [/QUOTE] Actually, it may have: > **[Talking Turkey: Origins of England's Favourite Fowl](https://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/turkey.htm)** > > When English merchants brought an exotic Mexican bird home in the 1530s, a geographical mix-up led them to name it after Turkey, a mistake that shaped how languages across the world still call it ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/16 "2008-03-08T23:26:30Z")
Neither the usage or the hat style is as common anymore, but sometimes people simply wore a “Panama”. Never mind that “Panama hats” are actually from Ecuador. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/17 "2008-03-09T00:30:50Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] I just formatted a marketing document our law firm is preparting for some middle eastern client. At one point they used the word “Quatarization” to describe some approach to private equity deveopment in that country. [/QUOTE] Are you sure you don’t mean Qatarization (similar to Omanization etc) which means to get more locals into the work force instead of relying too heavily on imported labor? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/18 "2008-03-09T01:04:16Z")
[QUOTE=Student Driver] Pretty much any ethnic food is, at least colloquially, referred to by a nationality as a noun. Chinese, Thai, etc. [/QUOTE] That’s the first thing I thought of, but I’m not sure whether it counts. I am not a grammarian, but I don’t know whether, for example, “Chinese” as in “Let’s get some Chinese for supper” counts as a noun, or as an adjective modifying the understood noun “food.” ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/19 "2008-03-09T07:52:33Z")
In some parts of the English-speaking world, a swede is a kind of root vegetable. (You may know it as a rutabaga.) Would that count? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625/20 "2008-03-09T17:49:43Z")
A lot of people wear clothing made of suede. And pay for it with guineas. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nationalities-as-nouns/440625.md?page=2)