Why are the French referred to as "FROGS"?
Apr 23rd, 2004, 06:37 AM
#27
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"loud-mouthed know-it-alls until they need your money"
do you mean when they got your money they don't know anything anymore???
Does "by some people?" means that you counting yourself twice?
do you mean when they got your money they don't know anything anymore???
Does "by some people?" means that you counting yourself twice?
Apr 23rd, 2004, 07:09 AM
#28
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Mimi, sorry to burst your bubble, but "frogs" is a term of insult the English have been throwing at the French for centuries - apparently we thought their food habits a bit weird, and also frogs are known for being a bit slimy - Hogarth (an 18th century artist) even did a characture of a frenchman as a slimy frog. The GIs must have picked it up from their British counterparts. Not very nice, clearly, but remember that they were our enemy for centuries, and in return the call us "les rosbifs" - aluding to the only food they thought we could cook. (Maybe they had a point...).
As for "limeys", that comes from the fact that the English discovered that citrus fruit prevented scurvy, so English sailors supposedly ate limes on long sea journeys.
As for "limeys", that comes from the fact that the English discovered that citrus fruit prevented scurvy, so English sailors supposedly ate limes on long sea journeys.
Apr 23rd, 2004, 07:19 AM
#31
Yes, there IS civilization west of the Hudson River, and there was civlization prior to Yuppieness.
By this I mean that history did not begin with WW2. My father, who served in WW1 in France, spoke frequently (in the late 1940's) of "frogs", mentioning how that's the term his fellow servicemen referred to them.
By this I mean that history did not begin with WW2. My father, who served in WW1 in France, spoke frequently (in the late 1940's) of "frogs", mentioning how that's the term his fellow servicemen referred to them.
Apr 23rd, 2004, 08:01 AM
#32
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Ok, everyone..
I did a quick research in the internet about it...
The term Frogs dates to at least the 16 Century..because of the fondness of the French for enjoying a good frog leg..
Also the term derives from the Flag and Coat of Arms of the French Kings..
I did a quick research in the internet about it...
The term Frogs dates to at least the 16 Century..because of the fondness of the French for enjoying a good frog leg..
Also the term derives from the Flag and Coat of Arms of the French Kings..
Apr 23rd, 2004, 08:20 AM
#34
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I just found this about the term "yanks"
Why are Americans called Yanks or Yankees?
The origin of Yankee has been the subject of much debate, but the most likely source is the Dutch name Janke, meaning ?little Jan? or ?little John,? a nickname that dates back to the 1680s. Perhaps because it was used as the name of pirates, the name Yankee came to be used as a term of contempt. It was used this way in the 1750s by General James Wolfe, the British general who secured British domination of North America by defeating the French at Quebec. The name may have been applied to New Britainers as an extension of an original use referring to Dutch settlers living along the Hudson River. Whatever the reason, Yankee is first recorded in 1765 as a name for an inhabitant of New Britain. The first recorded use of the term by the British to refer to Americans in general appears in the 1780s, in a letter by Lord Horatio Nelson, no less. Around the same time it began to be abbreviated to Yank. During the American Revolution, American soldiers adopted this term of derision as a term of national pride. The derisive use nonetheless remained alive and even intensified in the South during the Civil War, when it referred not to all Americans but to those loyal to the Union. Now the term carries less emotion?except of course for baseball fans.
Why are Americans called Yanks or Yankees?
The origin of Yankee has been the subject of much debate, but the most likely source is the Dutch name Janke, meaning ?little Jan? or ?little John,? a nickname that dates back to the 1680s. Perhaps because it was used as the name of pirates, the name Yankee came to be used as a term of contempt. It was used this way in the 1750s by General James Wolfe, the British general who secured British domination of North America by defeating the French at Quebec. The name may have been applied to New Britainers as an extension of an original use referring to Dutch settlers living along the Hudson River. Whatever the reason, Yankee is first recorded in 1765 as a name for an inhabitant of New Britain. The first recorded use of the term by the British to refer to Americans in general appears in the 1780s, in a letter by Lord Horatio Nelson, no less. Around the same time it began to be abbreviated to Yank. During the American Revolution, American soldiers adopted this term of derision as a term of national pride. The derisive use nonetheless remained alive and even intensified in the South during the Civil War, when it referred not to all Americans but to those loyal to the Union. Now the term carries less emotion?except of course for baseball fans.
Apr 23rd, 2004, 09:04 AM
#35
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Singletail wrote: Could it be for the same reason that Americans are called "loud-mouthed know-it-alls until they need your money" by some people?
Question: When do Americans ask anybody for money? We pretty much fund the UN and foot most of the the bill for peacekeeping operations around the world.
Question: When do Americans ask anybody for money? We pretty much fund the UN and foot most of the the bill for peacekeeping operations around the world.
