Putting English on Dutch treats
Today?s column begins with a question from my nephew, Lee Pedigo, who was in town this weekend taking some time off from his job as a roving insurance adjuster currently working in St. Louis. While having lunch Friday with Lee and his younger brother Patrick, along with his daughter Rachel, the waitress asked the inevitable question, that being if there was to be one check or several, which, oddly enough, initiated a conversation about ?going Dutch,? though the point was moot since Lee graciously offered to pick up the check, and his uncle, brother and niece graciously allowed him to do so. We?re so nice to Lee.
In any case, Lee, who is aware of my column, wondered out loud about the phrase.
?You need to look that one up uncle Charlie,? he said.
And so I will.
Apparently this, and other derogatory English phrases and terms referring to the Dutch, date back to the 17th century when the Dutch and British were bitter seafaring rivals. Each fought for maritime superiority for obvious economic reasons. During this period the English stereotyped the Dutch as stolid, miserly and bad-tempered.
These aspersions, especially the stinginess, were linked to several phrases, like ?Dutch treat,? which is used to indicate a situation where each person pays his own way or shares the expense of a meal or entertainment. Of course ?going Dutch? is obviously a derivation of the Dutch treat phrase.
Unfortunately it didn?t end there. The English weren?t quite through with the hapless Dutch. From there came ?Dutch auction,? where the prices go down rather than up; ?Dutch courage,? which is temporary bravery brought on by the consumption of alcohol; ?Dutch comfort,? where people exclaim, ?It could be worse,? in a bad situation; ?Dutch concert,? where a musician performs the wrong tune; and ?Dutch uncle,? which is someone who criticizes or chastens you like an actual relative might do.
Those poor Dutch. This phrase set me to wondering if there are any other phrases referring to a certain nationality.
Well, of course there are, but the first one that came to mind is just a bit risqu?. I?m sure you?ve probably figured out I?m talking about ?French kiss.? I probably I don?t have to explain what this phrase means to most folks, and for those who don?t know, it should be pretty easy to find out.
Although the specific origin is unknown most word mavens agree the expression dates from at least the 1920s. Speculation is it comes from the idea the French people are more sexually liberated than their English and American cousins. As with the ?Dutch? phrases, the French fared no better. Similar phrases like ?pardon my French,? which is used as an apology for using profanity, and ?French postcards,? which refers to pornographic pictures, have found their way into the English language.
Hmm, maybe it?s no wonder we?re not that popular with the French.
Of course, the English don?t escape this tendency to attach phrases to nationalities either. One phrase that comes to mind is ?putting english (always lower case) on it,? as used to describe spin on a ball, usually a billiard ball, but not always. Baseballs, tennis and golf balls can also be ?englished.? Oddly enough the British call this effect ?putting side on it,? which makes sense because it is accomplished by hitting the ball slightly off center. Now, as to the reason they call the spin ?english,? the answer is simple. The moves we use to impart the spin are called ?body english? which, in turn, refers to the motions we use for emphasis in spoken English on occasion.
That puts a bit of a different spin on it, now doesn?t it.
Charlie Johnson is news editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191.