When you're in a hurry to start drinking, you only say "tchin". Saves time.

My Petit Robert says that 'tchin-tchin' entered the French language in 1829, from the Cantonese version of pidgin English.

waring -

I love that song! I have it by a beautiful Irish tenor whose name escapes me right now. I had never heard it before, but it is really poignant - as is most of the Irish music I am currently getting into.

Nothing to do with tchin tchin, but . . .

The Men They Couldn't Hang. Check out their version.

Another mate ("I'll fight any man for sixpence" Michael J. Murphy IV) used to break into it at the end of an evening.

Not a dry eye in the house.

LOL Gertie
An Italian colleague was in Japan and used “Chin-Chin” in his toast – he noticed a few strange looks. Much later in the evening (no doubt after much more booze had been consumed) someone gave him the translation – I always think about that when I hear someone say cin-cin!

Chin-chin is an informal toast in W.Europe (vs. the formal 'a ta sante'). According to my dictionary, the etymology is Chinese written as qǐng-qǐng, but pronounced ching-ching, and means please-please. First used in the 1780's probably by travelers who had visited China.

Cin cin, as the Italians use it, comes from the sounds of the glasses touching during a toast.

Chin-Chin is what I say after looking in the mirror after eating too much delicious French food.

((H))

An amazing post!! I hadn't heard any mention of this phrase since my youth. And then to see it discussed here.

My father, who at 15 served in the USN in WW1 in France (Bordeaux area) circa 1918-20, used it in the 1940's.

I always thought the "cin cin" came from Cinzano. Many years ago, when I lived in Italy, Cinzano had an ad campaign featuring that toast, followed by the brand name. Perhaps the toast existed prior to these ads, and Cinzano just adopted it, or maybe it originated with Cinzano.

Whether or not it originated in China is uncertain. At any rate, it's Cin Cin, not Chin Chin, and is, if not originally Chinese, then certainly of Italian origin. The French and other Europeans have been using it for decades. It doesn't have anything to do with Cinazano - it was likely just adopted by Cinzano for a marketing campaign - like "Bitte ein Bit!"

This toast comes from Cinzano commercials from the 1960's.

They always ended with a very sensual "Cin-cin, Cinzano."

Cin Cin..Everyone!!

I've always associated it with blowsy and bibulous women in 1950s British films of lower middle-class life.

This is an interesting web site for the travelers that want to learn how to toast in different languages.

I need to remember how to say Cin Cin in Croatian..



http://www.awa.dk/glosary/slainte.htm

I confess that I had not read all the way back on this very old thread and discovered that I had actually researched it, so here it is again:

<i>My Petit Robert says that 'tchin-tchin' entered the French language in 1829, from the Cantonese version of pidgin English.</i>

My brother's in-laws always say chin-chin instead of cheers. Dead posh they are too.

I always thought it was a posh British 1920s type usage. The Italians use it as well as the French...

Listen the song "Cin-Cin Salute a te" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBjqE6ISXA0

Cool site kismetchimera - thanks!

Funny that Palenque hadn't heard "tchin-tchin" before. I've always heard it used much more frequently in Paris than the more formal "à [ta/votre] santé".

Well, I never saw this thread before, but I do remember a restaurant in mid-town Manhattan, that we frequented in the late 50's and 60's called "Maria's Cin-Cin" It was very good Italian food, and Maria was terrific. Haven't thought about it in years!