# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![lemac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@lemac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemac)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/41 "2010-07-21T06:38:01Z")
Dutch: Chinese vrijwilliger (Chinese volunteer): someone who is not a volunteer at all Chinezen: inhaling heroine ---
**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, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/42 "2010-07-21T06:43:02Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > 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. I could have sworn the expression came from Canadian French first. On the other hand, again from Wikipedia: > [@Wikipedia on Indian summer](#): > > The expression ‘Indian summer’ has been used for more than two centuries. The earliest known use was by French-American writer St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778. It is not precised whether this man was writing in English or French when he first used the expression. > [@Shakester](#): > > **Kiwi-fruit** , not Kiwi, which is a bird. The kiwi-fruit was named after the bird, which it vaguely resembles. Heh, we’ve had this discussion before. Non-New Zealanders call the fruit a _kiwi_, and it’s also the correct term in many other languages (it’s the only acceptable form recognized in my Larousse French dictionary), which drives New Zealanders into fits of rage. But it did use to be called a Chinese gooseberry, and not only in New Zealand. > [@clairobscur](#): > > In French, it’s Hebrew. I guess it depends on which dialect of French one is speaking. I’ve never heard Hebrew used in this context, always Chinese, as I’ve said [post=12708383]earlier[/post]. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/43 "2010-07-21T06:43:18Z")
Danish (sweet pastry) are called “Wienerbrod” (Viennese bread) in Danmark and “Danske Wienerbrod” in Norway ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/44 "2010-07-21T06:50:07Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > French also gave us the allemande dance. The Germans, in turn, contributed the name of the Schottische (which has no relationship to Scotland), and of course there’s the Spanish flamenco, which has nothing to do with Flanders. But everything with flamingos (flamencos in Spanish), very abundant in Southern Spain. In Spain when someone is speaking and in theory you should understand it but you actually don’t (political speeches, for example) we say the guy was speaking in Chinese. We have the same Russian Salad as in Peru, but also Hamburguesas (“from Hamburg”), aka Filete Ruso (“Russian Steak”). ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/45 "2010-07-21T06:52:14Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > 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. In England, they are referred to as “sleeping policemen”. Which is particularly funny on roadside signs warning “Caution! Sleeping policemen ahead” ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/46 "2010-07-21T07:16:20Z")
Yankee ingenuity 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/47 "2010-07-21T07:20:46Z")
Capote anglaise (condom) ---
**Author:** ![Sofis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/48 "2010-07-21T07:38:32Z")
> [@kun11](#): > > baka chon kamera = an old, racist term that means a camera that is so easy to use that a Korean could figure it out (no longer in common use). What part of that word is supposed to refer to Koreans (which is kankokujin in Japanese)? My Japanese is certainly not good enough for me to say with certainty that it doesn’t, but it looks suspiciously like “vacation camera” to me. ---
**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, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/49 "2010-07-21T08:42:30Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Heh, we’ve had this discussion before. Non-New Zealanders call the fruit a _kiwi_, and it’s also the correct term in many other languages (it’s the only acceptable form recognized in my Larousse French dictionary), which drives New Zealanders into fits of rage. But it did use to be called a Chinese gooseberry, and not only in New Zealand.[post=12708383]earlier[/post]. I’m Australian, and since “kiwi” is a slang term for New Zealanders here, we also call the fruit “kiwifruit” to distinguish it from both the bird _and_ the nationality. I’ve never heard or seen the fruit called anything _but_ “kiwifruit”, which is recognised as correct by my Australian English spell-checking Firefox plug-in, too. You’re right that in the distant past they did used to be called “Chinese Gooseberries”. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/50 "2010-07-21T08:44:30Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > 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) That would be “taking French leave”. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/51 "2010-07-21T09:36:52Z")
in spain bantam chickens are called “americanas”. (literally: americans) ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/52 "2010-07-21T10:09:50Z")
In German: _Engländer_ (Englishman): monkey wrench (colloq.) _sich auf französisch verabschieden_ (to take French leave): to leave without taking leave. Nowadays usually in the sense not of flight but of impolite behaviour _Pariser_ (Parisian): condom (colloq.) _[Schwedentrunk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwedentrunk)_ (Swedish drink): torture (usually to death) by forcing victim to drink urine/dung. I recently saw [an OTC product of that name](http://www.bodyguardapotheke.com/dokumente/artikel/FotoDetail/2029999.jpg) in some German pharmacy - this seems to be a product of historically illiterate marketing. _hinter schwedischen Gardinen_ (behind Swedish curtains): in prison. (colloq.) _Alter Schwede_ (old Swede) - an expression of surprise (when not directed to someone in prarticular) or an affectionate address between men. _Das kommt mir spanisch vor_ (This looks Spanish to me): this does not look to make sense to me (usually in the sense of nonplausibility rather than incomprehensibility) (colloq.) ---
**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, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/53 "2010-07-21T11:12:12Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > _Engländer_ (Englishman): monkey wrench (colloq.) They’re called “Swedish wrenches” in Hebrew. ---
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/54 "2010-07-21T11:47:16Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I’m Australian, and since “kiwi” is a slang term for New Zealanders here, we also call the fruit “kiwifruit” to distinguish it from both the bird _and_ the nationality. I’ve never heard or seen the fruit called anything _but_ “kiwifruit”, which is recognised as correct by my Australian English spell-checking Firefox plug-in, too. > > You’re right that in the distant past they did used to be called “Chinese Gooseberries”. For the record, I’ve never heard anyone call it a Kiwifruit in the states, though my American spell check does recognize the word when I spell it. I’m pretty sure grocery stores just call them “kiwis.” ---
**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, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/55 "2010-07-21T15:27:11Z")
> [@Anaglyph](#): > > In England, they are referred to as “sleeping policemen”. Which is particularly funny on roadside signs warning “Caution! Sleeping policemen ahead” In Panama they are called “dead policemen,” which was particularly humorous during the Noriega years. > [@Shakester](#): > > You’re right that in the distant past they did used to be called “Chinese Gooseberries”. A book I had as a kid in the US referred to them as “Chinese gooseberries,” but I guess I am old enough so that my childhood qualifies as being in the “distant past.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/56 "2010-07-21T15:44:31Z")
I notice terms when they refer to my own group. In Thailand, potatoes are Western (“farang”) yams, asparagus is Western bamboo and, rudely, feet are sometimes called Western hands. :mad: In Japan a short-time love hotel is, IIRC, called an American hotel. As a Californian I had to ask when once offered a “California burger” in Minnesota. That’s a burger with tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/57 "2010-07-21T16:03:11Z")
Mongoloid FTW! (when referring to someone with Down’s Syndrome) ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/58 "2010-07-21T16:46:16Z")
> [@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. As others have mentioned, there are many languages in which this bird, which is native to North America, is named after the place where Columbus thought he had landed. The really big coincidence, for those who eat turkey on the Thanksgiving holiday, is that in both Ancient Hebrew and Modern Hebrew, this word “hodu” means both the country of India, and is also an imperative verb meaning “give thanks”. > [@Kyla](#): > > There’s a snack food in Israel called “American peanuts” that I really, really, really liked. Sadly, I cannot get them here in America. I love them! For those who are unfamiliar with them: When I was in Israel in the late 70s and early 80s, they were peanuts covered with some sort of hard thin candy shell. I had always presumed that the name “American peanuts” came about because they tasted exactly like the peanuts in Cracker Jack, but that was a sticky, sugary, red coating, and these were brittle and peanut-colored. I’ve recently had the ones they’re importing to the US (to kosher shops in the NYC area), and the shell is now much thicker and tastes nothing like I remember. ---
**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, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/59 "2010-07-21T16:58:07Z")
When the air in a place is overly scented like flowers (i.e. because of foral scented air freshener or even perfume), it is said to “smell like a French whorehouse”. The same phrase is used in regard to a guy who is wearing a strong cologne that maybe is a little floral scented – “He smells like he just came out of a French whorehouse.” ---
**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, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392/60 "2010-07-21T17:47:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > They’re called “Swedish wrenches” in Hebrew. I would have thought those would be Allen keys 😃 Oh, by the way – in Quebec, a hot dog with meat sauce is _un michigan_. Not sure why. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-in-one-language-that-reference-another-nationality/547392.md?page=4)