???
It is Hello! in Latvian.
This is why I love the Dope. Asked and answered in half an hour.
How is “sveiks” pronounced?
About the way it’s spelled… “svayks.” I believe Sveiks means hello, goodbye, cheers, and a few other things, kind of the Latvian Aloha.
Rhymes with “shakes”?
Damn, I was hoping it rhymed with “yikes.”
Well thanks!
Now, what about the pictures of the man, looks like a picture from the 50’s era, smoking a pipe. Sometimes you see them all over the place.
Here you go:
Not that it will make any more sense. There are a couple of old threads about it, I believe.