Falling down and passing out aren’t actually “moves”.
Chauvinism came into the English language twice. Its original meaning was a reference to the eponymous Nicolas Chauvin, a follower of Napoleon who was well known for his partisan behavior regarding Napoleon. His name was used (dismissively) in both France and Britain to indicate a person who was excessively partisan (with a clear nationalistic overtone in Englis). There the definition in English stood for 150 years. In France, the meaning gradually changed to mean anyone to was excessively partisan to any group to which he or she belonged. When works by Simone de Beauvoir and other 20th century French Feminists (using the word in a slightly expanded meaning to indicate a man who was excessively partisan to male humans) were translated to English, the English cognate “chauvinism” was used, despite the fact that it no longer (in the very early 1950s) accurately translated its French counterpart. In English, in the 1960s, it actually took on a more specific meaning than it had borne in French, that, specifically, of a male sexist. Given that English already had words that conveyed both meanings of chauvinist–partisan and sexist–chauvinist never filled a true need in the language. I have not found a need to employ the word chavinist in 38 years, or so, and any “corruption” it may have suffered has not resulted in the loss of a useful word in English.
Thanks, Tom.
That thread was about sphincters?! :eek: