Ethnic terms

[Alexander Boguslawski]

Dear Seelangers and fans of ethnic terms!  It took me some time (and two tries
to get it posted -- this is my third attempt) to collect a few more expressions
which, I hope, will be of interest not only to Tony, but to all.

Greek expressions:

1. A Vlach (Wallachian?) -- Vlahikos or Vlahos -- bumpkin, simpleton, uncouth
2. Panama -- Panamas -- panama hat
3. Indian pig -- Indikon hoiridion -- guinea pig
4. Indian reed -- Indokalamos -- bamboo
5. Chinese Language -- Kinezika -- anything incomprehensible and unintelligible
6. Chinese gymnastics -- Kineziki gimnastiki -- meaning unclear (possibly
   sleeping or sex:  I found this expression in a modern Greek song;  the
   singer says he is doing Chinese gymnastics behind a piano;  masturbation?)
7. To live like a bey -- Perno mpeika -- to live in luxury
8. To become a Turk (a Muslim) -- Tourkeuo -- to become enraged
9. To become a Turk (a Muslim) -- Ginomai Tourkos -- to become enraged
10. To become a Catholic -- Frankeuo

Polish expressions:

1. Babylonian numbers -- Liczby babilonskie -- predictions and calculations not
   to be trusted
2. The Gypsiy folk -- Cyganeria -- artistic boheme
3. Egyptian wheat -- Pszenica egipska -- abundance, profit, manna
4. Egyptian darkness -- Egipskie ciemnosci -- extreme darkness, lack of light
5. On the day of St. Fryc -- Na swiety Fryc -- never (Fryc is a Polish deroga-
   tory word for a German; it derives from Fritz, Friedrich -- there was no
   saint of that name)
6. Fryc's dues -- Frycowe -- dues paid by new initiates, new members to the
   members of some group;  dues one has to pay to become adept at smthg.
7. Galician term -- Galicyzm -- word, sentence, or construction borrowed from
   French or resembling French
8. Greek nose -- Grecki nos -- classic profile, straight nose
9. Greek knot -- Grecki wezel -- hair pinned in a knot, like in Greek sculpture
10. To pretend to be a Greek -- Udawac Greka -- to pretend not to understand
   something, to have no idea what's going on
11. Greek fidelity -- Grecka wiernosc -- infidelity, trickery,
 untrustworthiness12. On Greek Calends -- Na Greckie Kalendy -- never (there
 were no Greek Ca-
    lends)
13. Flying Dutchman -- Latajacy Holender -- a  globetrotter, traveller, a per-
    son who often changes place
14. A Dutchman -- Holender -- a substitute for "cholera" (darn it, shoot, damn,
    even worse than that...)
15. Italian stuff (things) -- Wloszczyzna -- soup vegetables (celery, leeks,
    parsley root, carrots;  supposedly brought to Poland from Italy)
16. Finnish knife -- Finka -- a strong knife used by Polish boyscouts
17. Turkish coffee -- Kawa po turecku -- coffee made in a pot, with grinds
    remaining on the bottom of every cup
18. Lithuanian attack -- Litewska napasc -- quick, unexpected attack
19. Latin sail -- Zagiel lacinski -- in reality, an Arab sail (the etymology
    of this is:  the sail was called Vela alla trina, a triangular sail;  be-
    cause of pronunciation, it was changed to vela latrina;  only then, to
    avoid this malodorous comparison, it changed to vela latina)
20. Kitchen Latin -- lacina kuchenna
Lacina kuchenna -- incorrect, poor Latin
21. Latin -- Lacina -- obscenities
22. German coffee -- Niemiecka kawa -- coffeee made of ersatz, i.e. chickory
23. A Turkish horse, a man from Mazuria, a Magyar hat, and the Hungarian saber-
    Kon turek, chlop Mazurek, czapka magierka, szabla wegierka -- best things
24. A Cossack -- Kozak -- a daredevil; also a person boasting too much

I will try to send a few more (approximately from M to Z in Polish).  Please
comment and make corrections to my explanations and translations, but first
of all -- enjoy!

Alexander Boguslawski
Professor of Russian Studies
Department of Foreign Languages
Rollins College
Winter Park, Florida 32789