# What does "Broheem" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587 "2005-10-30T11:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/21 "2005-10-31T13:32:10Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Yes, I saw that. I’m bewildered at why “broheim” outnumbers “broheem,” because that’s not the pronunciation. But so be it; dictionaries are frequently wrong. I run into the **ei/ie** “mispronounciation” all the time. Because I had two years of German in college, I’m extremely concious of pronouncing “broheim” as “bro-hyme” and if it were written “brohiem” I would automatically think “bro-heem.” But I ain’t the public here in the US(assuming this is a word that is only mostly appearing in the US). Living in Norther Ohio and coming in contact with the retail public every day, I’m amazed at how many pronounce **ei** as **ee** , whether it be in a person’s name or a place name or whatever. So this doesn’t strike me as odd. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/22 "2005-10-31T14:07:28Z")
Just curious, was the word used in the novel? If so that would certainly clear up the spelling question… as might the DVD later when one views the subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/23 "2005-10-31T16:17:45Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Just curious, was the word used in the novel? If so that would certainly clear up the spelling question… as might the DVD later when one views the subtitles. In the novel, Richie is barely more than a scab hanging limbless from a chain in the ceiling after he’s been held prisoner and tortured for 20 years by a psycho mobster. They’re not brothers, and Joey’s not a hit man: Richie and Joey ripped off the mob as kids. Joey got away, Richie didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/24 "2005-10-31T16:19:35Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > In the novel . . . So, no, he’s not that conversational when they finally meet up. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/25 "2005-10-31T16:38:26Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I run into the **ei/ie** “mispronounciation” all the time. Because I had two years of German in college, I’m extremely concious of pronouncing “broheim” as “bro-hyme” \ I have only heard it as bro-hyme. I first heard the word in college in the early 80’s in San Diego. It was the Northern California guys that used it. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/26 "2005-10-31T17:15:18Z")
Well to throw another wrench into it, I always heard it as “broham”. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/27 "2005-10-31T18:22:49Z")
> [@Corii](#): > > Well to throw another wrench into it, I always heard it as “broham”. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/28 "2005-10-31T18:36:56Z")
I’ve heard “broham” too (which I always thought was a play on the Cadillac “Brougham”), but I’ve never heard “bro-hyme.” But if that’s out there, that’s probably where the “eim” spelling came from. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/29 "2005-10-31T18:40:15Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I’ve heard “broham” too (which I always thought was a play on the Cadillac “Brougham”), but I’ve never heard “bro-hyme.” But if that’s out there, that’s probably where the “eim” spelling came from. The oldest spelling reference of the three so far is “broham” in Google Groups, 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/30 "2005-10-31T23:01:23Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Living in Norther Ohio and coming in contact with the retail public every day, I’m amazed at how many pronounce **ei** as **ee** , whether it be in a person’s name or a place name or whatever. So this doesn’t strike me as odd. You should try living in my neck of the woods. There’s a town here called “Lafayette,” but everyone pronounces the name, “luh-fey-ut.” “Demonbreun” gets pronounced “Demon brewin’” and “roaschneers” is corn on the cob. I’ve tried googling to see if the script has shown up on the net, but I get something like 318,000 results no matter what I try, and there just ain’t enough liquor in the universe for me to dig through all of those. Something occured to me today that Hurt might be **deliberately** mispronouncing the word as a way of indicating that his character is merely a street thug who is “putting on airs.” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/31 "2005-11-02T02:16:44Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Something occured to me today that Hurt might be **deliberately** mispronouncing the word as a way of indicating that his character is merely a street thug who is “putting on airs.” Except that, as I said, I’ve heard it before, outside the context of the movie. Google “broheem” for other examples. ---
**Author:** ![Capnjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Capnjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capnjack)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/32 "2016-01-18T16:48:24Z")
Finally I can shut you all up with an explanation of this. Watch the commercial for Geico where the two guys are curling weights. The one calls the other BroJim (pronounced bro-heem). His name is Jim and all the “funnies” are “Bro…” ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/33 "2016-01-18T17:19:46Z")
Odd. reading the first bit, my thought was a take-off on pluralizing with the “-im” suffix. (Is that Hebrew?) Seraph, seraphim, etc. More than one bro would be brohim. Oy vey. but from the context of the discussion, I take it this is not the Yiddish mafia? > [@Capnjack](#): > > Finally I can shut you all up with an explanation of this. > Watch the commercial for Geico where the two guys are curling weights. The one calls the other BroJim (pronounced bro-heem). His name is Jim and all the “funnies” are “Bro…” is this done with a Spanish accent? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/34 "2016-01-18T17:49:23Z")
> [@Capnjack](#): > > Finally I can shut you all up with an explanation of this. > Watch the commercial for Geico where the two guys are curling weights. The one calls the other BroJim (pronounced bro-heem). His name is Jim and all the “funnies” are “Bro…” “Shut you all up” from a 10+ year zombie thread? That seems a little hypersensitive on your part. Voices from the deep past? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/35 "2016-01-18T17:52:43Z")
> [@Capnjack](#): > > Finally I can shut you all up with an explanation of this. > Watch the commercial for Geico where the two guys are curling weights. The one calls the other BroJim (pronounced bro-heem). His name is Jim and all the “funnies” are “Bro…” Welcome to SDMB! That part about shutting us up, though? I’ve got bad news for you. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/36 "2016-01-18T18:12:29Z")
> [@Corii](#): > > Well to throw another wrench into it, I always heard it as “broham”. This is a cheesy pun, so you can say “Ey, broham” as in “Abraham Lincoln”. Broheem/Broheim is completely different, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/37 "2016-01-18T18:41:07Z")
To muddy these waters still further, there’s also [Bokeem Woodbine](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0940158/?ref_=nv_sr_1) who just got his name up in lights in the recent [Fargo (2014– )](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802850/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2) Season 2. First thing I thought of, anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/38 "2016-01-18T23:29:09Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > never heard of “broheem”, although my brother and I actually did invent a slang term to refer to each other, ‘brudamin.’ I’ll leave it to you smart dopers to work out what phrase it was more or less a phonetic variant of. Brother mine? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587.md?page=1)