# Terms in one language that reference another nationality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392 "2010-07-20T21:11:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/21 "2010-07-21T02:27:20Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > In French it’s called a _dinde_, which originally comes from _coq d’Inde_, in Catalan it’s _gall dindi_, and in Portuguese it’s a _peru_. I recall hearing that in Hebrew, turkey translates as Indian chicken, much like how turkey in French literally means “from India.” ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/22 "2010-07-21T02:43:40Z")
In New Zealand, Kiwis used to be called Chinese Gooseberries. Shepherd’s Pie in French is Pate Chinois. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/23 "2010-07-21T02:51:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve heard that every language has an expression analogous to “it’s Greek to me”, except with a different “foreign” language. IIRC, Greeks call an incomprehensible language “Turkish”, Turks call an incomprehensible language “Chinese”, and the Chinese, not having any more bewildering Earthly language to call it, say that it’s the language of Heaven. In French it’s Chinese as well (_c’est du chinois_). > [@gitfiddle](#): > > Yeah, in French, Y is called “i grec.” In Italian it’s also _i greca_. And in Polish it’s _igrek_ which I hear is just a phonetic transcription of the French name. > [@gitfiddle](#): > > Some obvious examples in English are “French kiss”, “Chinese fire drill”, “ **Indian summer** ”, etc. etc. I’m particularly interested in terms from other languages, and any interesting stories that might come along. It’s also _été indien_ or _été des Indiens_ in French, where I assume it originates from. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/24 "2010-07-21T03:02:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve heard that every language has an expression analogous to “it’s Greek to me”, except with a different “foreign” language. IIRC, Greeks call an incomprehensible language “Turkish”, Turks call an incomprehensible language “Chinese”, and the Chinese, not having any more bewildering Earthly language to call it, say that it’s the language of Heaven. And it’s been collected in [chart form](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1024): ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/25 "2010-07-21T03:17:35Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I recall hearing that in Hebrew, turkey translates as Indian chicken, much like how turkey in French literally means “from India.” The Hebrew word for turkey is “Hodu”, as is the Hebrew word for India. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/26 "2010-07-21T03:20:15Z")
In Hebrew, the word for turkey is “hodu”, which also means “India”. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, or if it’s a coincidence. There’s a snack food in Israel called “American peanuts” that I really, really, really liked. Sadly, I cannot get them here in America. In Bulgaria, “American salad” is green salad. “Mexican pizza” is pizza…with corn on it. (An abomination.) A roller coaster is also a Russian mountain (“ruska planina”). Out of curiosity, I just looked up how to say roller coaster in Russian, and according to Google Translate, it’s американские горки. Okay, now I have to reverse translate горки because I don’t know what that means…ha! Okay, it means “American hill”. I love it. Not a nation, but since it’s been brought up, Indian summer in Bulgarian is “tsiginsko lyato”, or “gypsy summer”. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [July 21, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/27 "2010-07-21T04:01:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve heard that every language has an expression analogous to “it’s Greek to me”, except with a different “foreign” language. IIRC, Greeks call an incomprehensible language “Turkish”, Turks call an incomprehensible language “Chinese”, and the Chinese, not having any more bewildering Earthly language to call it, say that it’s the language of Heaven. In Spanish it’s Greek, just as in English: _hablar en griego; para mi es griego_. Soy sauce in Spanish is called _salsa china_ (Chinese sauce), and Worcestershire sauce is _salsa inglesa_ (English sauce). In some places, if you want to specify that someone should show up punctually, the expression is _a la hora inglesa_ (English time). In French, if someone speaks French badly it’s said he speaks it “like a Spanish cow” (“comme une vache espagnole”). The actual original expression was "to speak French like a Spanish Basque,” which makes a lot more sense. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/28 "2010-07-21T04:22:18Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > It’s also _été indien_ or _été des Indiens_ in French, where I assume it originates from. According to Wikipedia, _été des Indiens_ is only used in Canada, and is a translation of the English. In France it’s called _été de la Saint-Denis_ or _été de la Saint-Martin_, two saint’s days in autumn. “St. Martin’s summer” was also used in English. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/29 "2010-07-21T04:24:48Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In Spanish it’s Greek, just as in English: _hablar en griego; para mi es griego_. > > Soy sauce in Spanish is called _salsa china_ (Chinese sauce), and Worcestershire sauce is _salsa inglesa_ (English sauce). > > In some places, if you want to specify that someone should show up punctually, the expression is _a la hora inglesa_ (English time). > > In French, if someone speaks French badly it’s said he speaks it “like a Spanish cow” (“comme une vache espagnole”). The actual original expression was "to speak French like a Spanish Basque,” which makes a lot more sense. - In Peruvian Spanish it’s “Chinese” for incomprehensible. - In Peru we have “Ensalada rusa” (Russian salad), a potato salad. - The monkey wrench is “Llave inglesa”, the adjustable one is sometimes called “Llave francesa” - “Sadder than an Indian film” refers to pre-Bollywod indian cinema with gut-wrenching dramas like “Mother India”. - Interestingly , Chinese food is not, in Peru, called “comida china” but rather Chifa. Several food items have China in their names: “papa china”, “canela china”, “cebollita china” even if the name is botanically wrong. - “Chino” and “China” refers to all people eastern Asian descent. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/30 "2010-07-21T04:29:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > … and the Chinese, not having any more bewildering Earthly language to call it, say that it’s the language of Heaven. In Cantonese at least, the written form of English (and other European languages as well) was called “chicken intestines”, because that was what the handwritten cursive scripts back in the day looked like. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/31 "2010-07-21T04:44:17Z")
> [@](#): > > When English speakers don’t understand something, they say “It’s all Greek to me”. They might also say it is all _Double Dutch_ (not on the provided chart). Another British one is “discussing [Ugandan affairs](http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/14/messages/619.html).” (Or sometime, “East African affairs.”) [Wictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ugandan_affairs), and several different online sources give a slightly different account of the origin of this, but I was a regular reader of _Private Eye_ at the time, and the account given at my first link fits my memory of it much better: i.e., “we were discussing Ugandan affairs” was an excuse given by a journalist to (implausibly) explain away a long time spent alone with an attractive African interviewee of the opposite sex. (The accusations about the Ugandan government minister having sex in a public lavatory may well have been made at around the same time, but I do not think they were the origin of the phrase.) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/32 "2010-07-21T04:48:16Z")
[QUOTE=Aji de Gallina] - The monkey wrench is “Llave inglesa” [/QUOTE] Ah, same here in France : clé anglaise. A “tête de turc” (Turk’s head) is a butt monkey - the guy who always gets picked on or pranked by the rest of the group, or who gets punished for someone else’s actions. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/33 "2010-07-21T04:52:50Z")
And then of course there’s “young Turk” for a young mover and shaker/a new broom, from the early 20th-century [Turkish clique of that name.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turk) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/34 "2010-07-21T04:58:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In some places, if you want to specify that someone should show up punctually, the expression is _a la hora inglesa_ (English time). I guess they have never lived in England, then! 😛 ---
**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:** [July 21, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/35 "2010-07-21T05:00:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In Spanish it’s Greek, just as in English: _hablar en griego; para mi es griego_. And to follow up, the best guess at the origin of the word _gringo_, now used mostly for Americans, is as an alteration of _griego_, or Greek, as a generic word for stranger/non-latino. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/36 "2010-07-21T05:04:35Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > In Hebrew, the word for turkey is “hodu”, which also means “India”. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, or if it’s a coincidence. The full term for turkey in Hebrew is “tarnegol hodu”, or “India chicken”, usually abbreviated to “hodu” (“India”). More Hebrew: “American test” - multiple choice exam. “American ice cream” - soft serve. “Japanese knife” - box cutter. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/37 "2010-07-21T05:36:26Z")
I know Welsh people who refer to a speed bump as a “Sais marw” (dead Englishman), but it’s not standard and pretty self-consciously tongue-in-cheek. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/38 "2010-07-21T05:53:06Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > In New Zealand, Kiwis used to be called Chinese Gooseberries. **Kiwi-fruit** , not Kiwi, which is a bird. The kiwi-fruit was named after the bird, which it vaguely resembles. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/39 "2010-07-21T06:23:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve heard that every language has an expression analogous to “it’s Greek to me”, except with a different “foreign” language. IIRC, Greeks call an incomprehensible language “Turkish”, Turks call an incomprehensible language “Chinese”, and the Chinese, not having any more bewildering Earthly language to call it, say that it’s the language of Heaven. In French, it’s Hebrew. And the turkey is Indian (from India, not more sensibly as a reference to Indians from the americas) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/40 "2010-07-21T06:31:10Z")
Also, a condom is an “english coat” (compare to the “french letter”). Similarly, escaping from somewhere is called “fleeing the english way” (I can’ remember what is the equivalent sentence in english, but it refers to Frenchmen. Some have supposed it could be related to the escapes of their respective POW, or to the perceived cowardness in battle of the opposite side) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392.md?page=3)