An Apology, my introduction & "Pardon My French!"
I deleted the post -"spamming trivia"- because, although it was a good piece of information, it wasn't well presented. I should have made it more humourous. With just posting in mind, I cannot let the quality of content suffer. So, I decided to go ahead and remove the thorn in the flesh (or ____ in the ____ ).
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I joined a yahoogroup recently and in my first post, I included a small introduction.
About Me: I'm Abhimanyu Sarvagyam. I've completed my B.Sc(Chemistry) from Loyola College, Chennai. I'm presently working at D.E.Shaw India, as Associate (Resource Development). My career interests are Technology(specifically, biotechnology) and Management. I'm also interested in entrepreneurship and am making an effort to learn basics of programming.
Disclaimer: The last sentence is a sensitive topic and may not be discussed in public.
This is a pretty serious group where business ideas are discussed. I'm sure you would've realised why "i put so much scene"! ;) (Madras lingo).
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Today, somebody i know kept saying f*** during the course of a conversation and later said "pardon my french!". I have heard this before but did not know whether cursing and french are "made for each other" or is it the f-connection. As always, I googled and found that it is after all not the f-connection. This is what I found:
What is the origin of the phrase pardon my French?
This phrase, in which French refers to "bad language", is employed when the speaker feels compelled to use an obscenity despite having listeners who might be offended. It's a late 19th century euphemism which first appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1895.
It is thought that the term French is employed in this sense as it already had a history of association with things considered vulgar. As far back as the early 16th century, French pox and the French disease were synonyms for genital herpes, and French-sick was another term for syphillis. The OED also equates the adjective French with "spiciness", as in French letter for "condom", French kiss (1923) and French (i. e. "sexually explicit") novels (from 1749).
Source: http://www.takeourword.com/Issue058.html
and...
Where does the phrase "pardon my French" come from?
The phrase in this form started out in the 1950s as an offshootof "excuse my French." This is a result of racial stereotyping -Anglo-Saxons of the late 19th century blamed the French for anythingremotely dirty. The belief started in the mid 19th century and heldthat was France sex-obsessed and pornographic.
Source: http://www.mindlesscrap.com/stumpme/07-02.htm
I also found many more similar explanations and came to a conclusion that the English have a habit of using national references in derogatory phrases. Another such example is "Mexican Standoff":
Mexican standoff's origins are not known, but one source supposes that the term, which means `a situation from which nothing at all can be expected,' comes from a derogatory origin. This source notes that adjectives of nationality are often used in derogatory manners. Several expressions were coined by the English in the 17th century to put down their Dutch rivals: Dutch treat `pay for yourself,' Dutch defense `surrender,' and do the Dutch `suicide.' The same is true regarding the Mexicans: Mexican athlete `an athlete who goes out for a team but does not make it,' Mexican promotion `a promotion in which the employee gets a new title but no raise in pay,' Mexican breakfast `a breakfast consisting of a cigarette and a glass of water,' and Mexican standoff .
******
I joined a yahoogroup recently and in my first post, I included a small introduction.
About Me: I'm Abhimanyu Sarvagyam. I've completed my B.Sc(Chemistry) from Loyola College, Chennai. I'm presently working at D.E.Shaw India, as Associate (Resource Development). My career interests are Technology(specifically, biotechnology) and Management. I'm also interested in entrepreneurship and am making an effort to learn basics of programming.
Disclaimer: The last sentence is a sensitive topic and may not be discussed in public.
This is a pretty serious group where business ideas are discussed. I'm sure you would've realised why "i put so much scene"! ;) (Madras lingo).
******
Today, somebody i know kept saying f*** during the course of a conversation and later said "pardon my french!". I have heard this before but did not know whether cursing and french are "made for each other" or is it the f-connection. As always, I googled and found that it is after all not the f-connection. This is what I found:
What is the origin of the phrase pardon my French?
This phrase, in which French refers to "bad language", is employed when the speaker feels compelled to use an obscenity despite having listeners who might be offended. It's a late 19th century euphemism which first appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1895.
It is thought that the term French is employed in this sense as it already had a history of association with things considered vulgar. As far back as the early 16th century, French pox and the French disease were synonyms for genital herpes, and French-sick was another term for syphillis. The OED also equates the adjective French with "spiciness", as in French letter for "condom", French kiss (1923) and French (i. e. "sexually explicit") novels (from 1749).
Source: http://www.takeourword.com/Issue058.html
and...
Where does the phrase "pardon my French" come from?
The phrase in this form started out in the 1950s as an offshootof "excuse my French." This is a result of racial stereotyping -Anglo-Saxons of the late 19th century blamed the French for anythingremotely dirty. The belief started in the mid 19th century and heldthat was France sex-obsessed and pornographic.
Source: http://www.mindlesscrap.com/stumpme/07-02.htm
I also found many more similar explanations and came to a conclusion that the English have a habit of using national references in derogatory phrases. Another such example is "Mexican Standoff":
Mexican standoff's origins are not known, but one source supposes that the term, which means `a situation from which nothing at all can be expected,' comes from a derogatory origin. This source notes that adjectives of nationality are often used in derogatory manners. Several expressions were coined by the English in the 17th century to put down their Dutch rivals: Dutch treat `pay for yourself,' Dutch defense `surrender,' and do the Dutch `suicide.' The same is true regarding the Mexicans: Mexican athlete `an athlete who goes out for a team but does not make it,' Mexican promotion `a promotion in which the employee gets a new title but no raise in pay,' Mexican breakfast `a breakfast consisting of a cigarette and a glass of water,' and Mexican standoff .
Source: http://www.takeourword.com/et_k-m.html#Mexican
Anyways, I hope you guys do not do the dutch after feeling very french because of a Mexican Promotion! :P
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One piece of advice: do not go to the NewYorker restaurant in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, because it is F***ing bullshit. Pardon My French! Detailed description of my experience, at that place, in the next post.
