Surely the French did not invent it!
No, but they didn’t invent syphilis either- and yet, the English referred to that malady as “The French Disease” for a long time.
Fair or not, accurate or not, there’s long been a perception that the French are more prone to debaucherie and lewd behavior than the (supposedly) prim, upright English. So, just as the English were inclined to blame the French for a sex-related disease, they were inclined to associate the more passionate, erotic brand of kissing with thos randy Frogs.
Similarly “French letter” for condom.
Well, I have it on reliable authority that in French, it’s called “Italian kissing,” and in Italian, it’s called “lemonade.”
Maybe we should start a thread on various romance- and sex-related slang terms and how they translate into different languages…
Apparently, ‘French’ was a code word for anything sexual that was considered dirty. Disease, condom, oral sex, etc. were all described as French *** around 1900 give or take. I don’t know many specifics, but this was specifically called out in an exhibit at the Museum of Sex in NYC.
But then the French called syphilis the “Italian Disease,” so it seems the buck can be readily passed. Also, related to Colibri’s post, Pariser (ie, Parisian) is slang German for condom. So it seems they’ve developed quite a reputation over time.
The English definitely started dissing the Frogs, er, French as far back as the 18th century.
The “French letter=condom” appears in print from 1856, usually in cites which were informational, scientific, but not usually titillating. It wasn’t exactly the “risque, sexy” usage of the 20th century terms such as French -postcard(1922), kiss(1918), fuck(1938), tickler(1916), and bath(1935).
Makes you wonder what they were doing with the toast.
I’m waiting for an Aussie to respond in this thread.
That’s because an Aussie French Kiss is different.
It’s down under.
And I really don’t want to know what’s in the dressing…
And let’s not even think about the fries or the mustard or the butler in Family Affair.
On the other hand, a French tickler is… never mind.
It is a wonder that nobody has made something dirty out of “The French Connection”. 
And we come full circle back the French Kissing…
If this info were discovered any other law suits against Mcdonald’s because their french fries are making people fat would be more convincing.
hmm…
And wad could you possibly do wif fries? french-fries…
Because the French do it best?
In the U.K., a baguette is a “French stick.” Gives new meaning to the idea of whather man can live on bread alone…
And for that matter what the hell is the phrase “The French Mistake” the gay chorus in Blazing Saddles is singing all about?
What is the “French Mistake”?
I second astro’s question on the French Mistake.
“Five, six, seven, eight, watch me…”
“The French Mistake” was a pun on “The French Mystique”. Oh, that Mel Brooks. Blazing Saddles remains one of the best commentaries on racism in the US ever filmed. Only Brooks could use the N-word (no, not “noo-kew-lar”), have Indians speaking Yiddish and have a Western saloon dancer be related to the baron in the Great Race…