# Titles, names, words, etc. that are funny in other countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256 "2021-09-07T18:57:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/41 "2021-09-09T18:33:22Z")
Traveling around Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania in 2016, I saw some businesses with names that seemed bizarre from an American perspective. We drove past a bar in some village called “Club No Class”. My guess is they mean people of all social classes can drink there, as in “there are no class divisions here, we’re all the same”, and were unaware of the meaning of “no class” in other English speaking countries. Or I suppose it could just be “we’re a dive bar with no class and we’re proud of it”. But the strangest one was the big sign by the side of the road advertising the “Smart Pork Hotel”. I can only assume that expression must have some meaning to the locals, but it just sounds really strange to me. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/42 "2021-09-12T00:43:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You mean **kn\*ckers**? That one’s lost on me, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/43 "2021-09-12T01:01:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > **kn\*ckers** Monty Python reference. 😉 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CfU6bmKsoko/hqdefault.jpg "Monty Python Semprini Sketch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfU6bmKsoko) ---
**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:** [September 12, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/44 "2021-09-12T01:01:32Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > That one’s lost on me, sorry. Not to speak for @Johnny_L.A, but we used to have a Doper named **kn\*ckers** (last seen in '03, I think), whose name was, I assume, inspired by this Monty Python sketch (see especially 0:45-1:00): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CfU6bmKsoko/hqdefault.jpg "Monty Python Semprini Sketch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfU6bmKsoko) ETA: Ninja’d by Johnny himself. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/45 "2021-09-12T01:18:53Z")
Ah, TY. Have seen Monty Python (liked the movies more), don’t remember that scene. There is a list of words not allowed on British TV (not just the BBC) at various times of day, depending on the channel and surrounding programmes. Comes up in my job occasionally (subtitling) and leads to quite formal but nonetheless amusing emails. Obvs neither kn_ckers nor kn_ckers are actually censored. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/46 "2021-09-12T01:23:48Z")
The movie _The Last Airbender_ had Britons laughing because “bender” means a gay man, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/47 "2021-09-12T01:26:15Z")
There is a delicious bean stew popular in Egypt which is usually transliterated into English as “foul.” And since there is no distinction between the B and P sound in Arabic, Egyptians writing English sometimes unknowingly select the wrong one. “No barking” signs were common in people’s driveways, and I saw more than one menu offering “crap soup.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/48 "2021-09-12T01:26:59Z")
For a few years I’ve wondered about the etymology of the Kn\*ckers with an O to mean “breasts”. I had assumed that it was a crude reference to movement until I saw one of those _door_ knockers that was in the form of a pendulous piece of metal with a knob attached at the bottom. I had seen them everywhere for decades, but only then did I realize it looked sort of anatomical. I then wondered if maybe this shape of some door knockers influenced the term. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/49 "2021-09-12T01:36:46Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > There is a delicious bean stew popular in Egypt which is usually transliterated into English as “foul.” It is definitely transliterated into _French_ that way: [Foul — Wikipédia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foul) Never gave any thought to how to convert that to _English_ (fava beans?), and perhaps neither have many Egyptians. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/50 "2021-09-12T03:07:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > For a few years I’ve wondered about the etymology of the Kn\*ckers with an O to mean “breasts”. I had assumed that it was a crude reference to movement until I saw one of those _door_ knockers that was in the form of a pendulous piece of metal with a knob attached at the bottom. I had seen them everywhere for decades, but only then did I realize it looked sort of anatomical. I then wondered if maybe this shape of some door knockers influenced the term. I always thought it was obvious [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LB_aegewceU/maxresdefault.jpg "Funny Scene - What Knockers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB_aegewceU) ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/51 "2021-09-12T09:52:06Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > There is a delicious bean stew popular in Egypt which is usually transliterated into English as “foul.” Which is why “the English menu” can cause amusement when it offers “Foul madames”. I did once see a fishing-shack restaurant in Crete offering “Fried Squits”. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/52 "2021-09-12T10:11:30Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > When Pippa Middleton (sister of the Duchess of Cambridge) was in the news a lot, after the Will & Kate wedding, apparently her name caused amusement in Sweden because it’s one of the most common names for penis. For sexual intercourse, actually. Penis is commonly kuk. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/53 "2021-09-12T10:17:17Z")
[![](https://i.ibb.co/Thppq0V/s27.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/Thppq0V/s27.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/54 "2021-09-12T10:33:29Z")
[![](https://i.ibb.co/dpgNM2c/s126.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/dpgNM2c/s126.jpg)   [![](https://i.ibb.co/0Z6gHBg/s38.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/0Z6gHBg/s38.jpg)   [![](https://i.ibb.co/wRH7vk6/s132.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/wRH7vk6/s132.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/55 "2021-09-12T17:56:00Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I did once see a fishing-shack restaurant in Crete offering “Fried Squits”. This doesn’t really fit into the category of words that are funny in other countries, but that reminded me of a badly translated English menu I encountered in Costa Rica which included “hole jumbo shrimp” and “tender lion wraped in baco”. (The misspelling of “wrapped” is how it was written on the menu). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/56 "2021-09-12T19:14:29Z")
> [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](#): > > A former French prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, caused some snickering in the Arab world because the proper French pronunciation of his last name resembles a Lebanese slang term for the penis. The same thing for Bob Dole and Farsi. Well, actually his name meant “big dick” in that language. Iranian news editors were very happy he lost the 1996 election. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/57 "2021-09-12T20:01:23Z")
_Fahren_ is the German verb “to travel,” and _fahrt_ is one conjugation of the verb. As you can imagine, this creates a lot of mirth in German classes, particularly at the public-school level. Damrong is a not uncommon name in Thailand. The A is the A in “father,” the O a long O. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/58 "2021-09-13T16:55:19Z")
[![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqvh47xZ74aB7LpMHNMlkT02EVmrd_fWCHiA&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqvh47xZ74aB7LpMHNMlkT02EVmrd_fWCHiA&usqp=CAU) [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmO_-RsuU8T2C0NhiivIOa1eesr2qyUKz7aA&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmO_-RsuU8T2C0NhiivIOa1eesr2qyUKz7aA&usqp=CAU) Danish elevator signs ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/59 "2021-09-13T18:22:17Z")
In Dutch, one says Good Morning as goeiemorgen. The first syllable is pronounced similar to chuj, which is Polish and Russian slang for male organ. Another one for laughs is the beer brand Hoegaarden. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256/60 "2021-09-13T18:26:53Z")
“Fart” (with a silent t) is French for “ski wax.” And _Family Guy_ had some fun with the French word for “seal.” (NSFW) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WGWdDYLrLMk/hqdefault.jpg "Family Guy - Phoque") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGWdDYLrLMk) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-names-words-etc-that-are-funny-in-other-countries/950256.md?page=2)