Sin Studly
04-18-2006, 03:46 AM
I just realised that the english language uses the term "garotte" for a thin wire you use to murder people with. Unless I'm gravely mistaken, the word "garotte" comes from the French ; the most callow and spineless bunch of surrender-artists ever shat onto western civilisation. Why is this? I mean, I guess it's kind of fitting, since the garrotte forces you to come from behind ; and is a weapon for murdering somebody weaker than you (ie; Algeria) rather than a weapon for combat. But why would anything that's got to do with killing people rather than surrendering to them be named by the frogs?
Sabotage, another French bastardisation. But this one makes a little sense. Sabot = boot, it was a term that literally meant kicking German machinary with your boot to fuck up the war effort. It was pretty much the backbone of the French resistance, and they lavish themselves with praise over it. They consider themselves the most heroic nation in the war because some of them kicked the fanbelts of assembally lines while Herr Müller snuck out of the factory floor to smoke a cigarette. I mean, the Finns fought the Soviets and Nazi Germany. The British refused to give up even as their shipping lines were cut off, the Luftwaffe were pounding them senseless and none of their allies were willing to help them. The Russians went scorched earth, burned out their foodstores and died by the hundreds of thousands to stop the German invasion. And the heroic French kicked....some.... machines.
So, that makes sense, but Sabot? It's a term used in English for some full-on military shit, namely "A sabot refers to a device named for a shoe used in a firearm or cannon to fire a projectile or bullet that is smaller than the bore diameter". Right, I have no fucking clue what that means, except maybe that a sabot is padding to let big guns fire little bullets. That's my best guess. But why is that word taken from the French? What the hell do the French know about firing any size bullets?
And Guerillas? Why on earth have we taken the word Guerillas from the French? I mean ; please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me it comes from Italian or Spanish? And if it does come from the French, please tell me it was coined by them when they were referring to the slanteyed gooks or ragheaded arabs who kicked their colonial frog arses out of their colonies?
Now, firing blanks. I'm assuming that 'blank' came from the French word for 'white'. Again, correct me if I'm wrong. It does make sense for the the French colour of warfare to represent firing cartridges with no actual bullets in them.
Anyways, when I made this thread I just wanted to ask what people from other languages call garottes. Now I want you to point out any assimilated foreign words from totally unsuitable languages.
Sabotage, another French bastardisation. But this one makes a little sense. Sabot = boot, it was a term that literally meant kicking German machinary with your boot to fuck up the war effort. It was pretty much the backbone of the French resistance, and they lavish themselves with praise over it. They consider themselves the most heroic nation in the war because some of them kicked the fanbelts of assembally lines while Herr Müller snuck out of the factory floor to smoke a cigarette. I mean, the Finns fought the Soviets and Nazi Germany. The British refused to give up even as their shipping lines were cut off, the Luftwaffe were pounding them senseless and none of their allies were willing to help them. The Russians went scorched earth, burned out their foodstores and died by the hundreds of thousands to stop the German invasion. And the heroic French kicked....some.... machines.
So, that makes sense, but Sabot? It's a term used in English for some full-on military shit, namely "A sabot refers to a device named for a shoe used in a firearm or cannon to fire a projectile or bullet that is smaller than the bore diameter". Right, I have no fucking clue what that means, except maybe that a sabot is padding to let big guns fire little bullets. That's my best guess. But why is that word taken from the French? What the hell do the French know about firing any size bullets?
And Guerillas? Why on earth have we taken the word Guerillas from the French? I mean ; please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me it comes from Italian or Spanish? And if it does come from the French, please tell me it was coined by them when they were referring to the slanteyed gooks or ragheaded arabs who kicked their colonial frog arses out of their colonies?
Now, firing blanks. I'm assuming that 'blank' came from the French word for 'white'. Again, correct me if I'm wrong. It does make sense for the the French colour of warfare to represent firing cartridges with no actual bullets in them.
Anyways, when I made this thread I just wanted to ask what people from other languages call garottes. Now I want you to point out any assimilated foreign words from totally unsuitable languages.