# The way you say "Cheers"; and, for that matter, ways you don't say cheers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367 "2006-04-19T21:35:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/21 "2006-04-20T14:53:26Z")
I have been to dinner with people who will say “a votre sante” and then the men will add “et a votre beaute” in honor of each woman at the table. In his autobiography Boy, Roald Dahl describes the whole “skaal” ritual. I am trying to remember what my family uses, when we do use it. It’s so seldom. I think it’s just “cheers.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/22 "2006-04-20T18:44:23Z")
Gan Bei! Chinese for “dry cup”, which is what they say. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/23 "2006-04-20T19:00:08Z")
A favourite of mine is “Over the river, men!” > [@Lord Mondegreen](#): > > Inspired by the movie, [The Sum of Us](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111309/) a couple of friends and I used to say “Up your bum” as a toast. Yeah, this is a popular one in my circles as well. Often answered by the goup with “No babies!” And occasionally someone else chimes in with: (Uh, it’s a little indelicate)“Blood in yer undies!” I’ve recently succeeded in getting my parents to say it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/24 "2006-04-20T19:54:35Z")
“Cheers, m’dears!” “Here’s to us!” “Here’s to good food, good times, and good friends.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/25 "2006-04-20T19:59:51Z")
I’m reminded of the creepy scene in Hedda Gabler when the scoundrel says what I now know as “Skaal, Thea, skaal”…we listened to this repeatedly on vinyl as kids and I had no idea what he was saying, just that it sounded really sinister! Upon googling, it’s Eilert Luvborg…shudder ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/26 "2006-04-20T20:10:41Z")
An Irish favourite of mine: “May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” I also like “yum boi” (Cantonese for “gam bei” as noted above), another vote for “sláinte” (pron. “slon-shu”) because my missus is an Irish speaker, or “iechyd da” (pron. “yack-id-a”) because I know a lot of Welshies. But the one I use most is “chin chin”, because it’s a gently mocking homage to the era of Noel Coward and all that wonderful 1920s stuff. I believe it’s Italian. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/27 "2006-04-20T21:11:31Z")
I never use “Cheers.” More often it’s “skol” or “prosit.” On a television story about South African wine, the vintner said his usual toast is “Gesundheit,” meaning “to your health.” I have a few longer ones, if I feel like it. “May the wind at your back not be your own.” “Let us drink to what we all drink to, eventually. To drunkenness.” “Here’s to all the kisses I’ve snatched, and vice versa.” Most of the time, I drink to my lovely, brilliant wife. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/28 "2006-04-20T22:40:40Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > _“May god bless the ones that love us. > May he turn the hearts of those that don’t. > And if he can’t turn their hearts, > May he turn their ankles, > So we may know them by their limping.”_ Mmm. I like that one. Someone mentioned the raised glass vs. clinked glass connundrum, so I had to mention this: I went out for drinks with birdsister in Spain & we ended up knocking glasses with a few locals. When doing so, I looked them each in the eye & they got very pleased. In broken English, I was told this: “We believe you should look in the eyes. If not, it is seven years bad sex.” I doubt this is an all-over Spain thing, but I started noticing who does it and who doesn’t. Americans usually look at the cup, while the British folks I know seem pretty split. The only German people I’ve met since stared a whole in my head. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/29 "2006-04-20T22:53:18Z")
Drinking with a group of Vietnamese men, you’ll likely confront a weird, macho version: The host will pick another member of the table, and the two men will decide on an amount they have to knock back in one go, expressed as a percentage. Usually, this is 100% Then he’ll say “DRINK!” and the host and the guest will both knock their drink back in a sort of race, then try to be the first to show the empty glass to the others, and also try not to cough or splutter (a bit hard with some of the local rice spirit). Over a few drinks, each person should be ‘it’ at least once. In practice, the 6’4" white boy at a table of farm hands out in Bhut Phuc village will be ‘it’ most of the time, especially when, unknown to him, his cheeky Vietnamese friend arrived in the country two weeks earlier and threw down an unwanted challenge on my behalf, ‘wait until my Western friend arrives. He’ll drink you all under the table.’ Bastard. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/30 "2006-04-20T22:58:56Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > The only German people I’ve met since stared a whole in my head. A **hole** Goddammit! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/31 "2006-04-21T02:50:29Z")
Being Scottish on my dad’s side and German on my mother’s, I usually go with sláinte mhath (pronounced “slaun’cha va”) or prost, but cheers is always appropriate. For some other ideas, take a look at [this site](http://www.bier-lexikon.lauftext.de/prost-3.htm), which gives you “cheers” in 50 languages. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/32 "2006-04-21T10:18:54Z")
Skål. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/33 "2006-04-21T10:50:45Z")
I’ve always liked “Here’s to space” And when people invariably ask me what I mean, I tell them the little rhyme: - When God created Man, he made him out of string He had a bit left over, so he left a little thing… When God created Woman, he made her out of lace He didn’t have enough, so he left a little space \* Here’s to Space! ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/34 "2006-04-21T12:22:47Z")
I always say, “Here’s to it.” I think it’s a short version of a toast a freind’s dad used to say: _Here’s to it, and from it And to it again If you don’t do it when you get to it You may never get to it again._ He also used to say: \*Here’s to heat. Not the kind that ignites and brings down shanties. But the kind that excites and brings down panties. \* He had a million of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/35 "2006-04-21T12:44:19Z")
This is my standard toast: “Here’s to good friends, tonight is kinda special.” (I don’t drink Lowenbrau - I just bit their commercial) ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/36 "2006-04-21T13:54:05Z")
Apart from the traditional “Skál!” (sounds like “scowl”), I tend to use the polish “Na zdrowie” or anything in German, such as “Auf der häßliche Zwerg!” (to the ugly dwarf) but usually less tasteful than that, when I get properly wasted (a “to the ball-point pen up my ass” caused me some trouble with German tourists last year). I don’t think I’ve ever said “cheers” when drinking–I only ever hear it as a british “thanks”. ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/37 "2006-04-21T16:02:38Z")
Regretably, I picked up my typical toast from a movie, but I usually drink “to crime” when given the chance. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/38 "2006-04-21T19:28:44Z")
Na zdrave is the Bulgarian version. (To health.) Whilst looking the cheer-ee in the eye, of course. I seem to recall drinking in Spain with some Norwegians that there was stomping of feet involved. But it’s a little hazy and I’m not sure if we were all mimicking the locals (Spaniards) or each other. That’s the best kind of dedication. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/39 "2006-04-21T20:05:49Z")
We tend to say ‘uff da!’, which is just a general grunt of happy meaning in most Scandinavian languages. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367/40 "2006-04-22T02:15:43Z")
A Russian friend used to toast us with “Za vashuh zdroviyeh.” It meant “to your health.” In English, my friends have commonly said, “To Us, because no-one else is likely to,” or “Here’s to our wives and sweethearts–may they never meet!” Somewhat more poignantly, we have toasted “To absent friends,” when one of our number, who would normally be there, has died. And then there a good friend of mine. No matter the situation or the company, he will raise his glass and say, “Here’s to the girl who lives on the hill. She won’t, but her sister will.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-you-say-cheers-and-for-that-matter-ways-you-dont-say-cheers/353367.md?page=3)