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Funny/strange/deviant words in the Polish language


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tomekcatkinsThreads: 13
Posts: 173
Joined: Oct 9, 07 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 09, 16:55    #1
Do you know funny/strange/deviant words in the Polish language? I found two:

1) Parasol / parasolka (przeciwsłoneczna) - 'para (el) sol' means 'for the sun' in Spanish, but the Polish use the name for an umbrella. The word 'parasolka (przeciwsłoneczna)' (little parasol (against the sun)) refers to a sunshade on the other hand.

2) Prysznic - The Polish word for shower refers to the surname of a Czech hydrotherapist, while in most other languages the word for shower is derived from the Italian 'doccia' (from the Latin 'ducere' - 'to lead/guide').
benszymanskiThreads: 9
Posts: 510
Joined: Feb 29, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 09, 17:26    #2
tomekcatkins:
but the Polish use the name for an umbrella

and ironically "umbrella" which in English we use to shield from rain comes from the latin "umbella" meaning "shade, shadow".
tomekcatkinsThreads: 13
Posts: 173
Joined: Oct 9, 07 ♂ 		Edited by: tomekcatkins  Aug 19, 09, 17:32    #3
Well, now that's interesting! Didn't know that. Then the French word 'parapluie' (pluie = rain) makes more sense. :P
PiorunThreads: -
Posts: 741
Joined: Nov 11, 07 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 09, 18:01    #4
How about ekstrahuje form of ekstrahować

which reminds me of a joke

Podchodzi sprzątaczka do laboranta:
sprzątaczka - Co Pan robi?
laborant - EkstraHUJE
sprzątaczka -To ja poproszę dwa!
tomekcatkinsThreads: 13
Posts: 173
Joined: Oct 9, 07 ♂ 		Edited by: tomekcatkins  Aug 19, 09, 19:55    #5
Could you explain what's curious about the 'ekstrahuje'-form of 'ekstrahować' in English, Piorun? :-)
Does 'huje' has something to do with 'chuje' or something?
MyszolowThreads: 4
Posts: 171
Joined: Jul 28, 09 ♂ 		 Aug 20, 09, 08:58    #6
tomekcatkins:
Does 'huje' has something to do with 'chuje' or something?

h and ch are pronounced the same in Polish so anything with that ending gets a schoolboy snigger. ;)

My wife was telling me about a hilarious latin lesson when they were learning the declension of hic, haec, hoc. And someone had to read it out without laughing. It goes something like this...

hic haec hoc
hunc hanc hoc
hujus hujus hujus
huic huic huic
hoc hoc hoc

...bet it was hilarious.
mafketisThreads: 17
Posts: 1,880
Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 20, 09, 10:38    #7
tomekcatkins:
Does 'huje' has something to do with 'chuje' or something?

ekstrahuje sounds just like 'ekstra chuje' (where ekstra means something like 'great!' 'wonderful!')

and while the 'correct' spelling is chuj the tradition in grafitti has usually been to write it huj, so it even looks like ...
cinekThreads: 1
Posts: 264
Joined: Nov 16, 07 ♂ 		 Aug 20, 09, 11:26    #8
tomekcatkins:
Do you know funny/strange/deviant words in the Polish language

'Rower' (bicycle) is derived from name of a manufacturer of bicycles (Rover).

Cinek
benszymanskiThreads: 9
Posts: 510
Joined: Feb 29, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 20, 09, 15:51    #9
Here's another strange thing I noticed in Polish - words such as "biznesmen" to mean a businessman. For some reason they adopted the plural "men" and not "man" which doesn't seem that logical to me. Same thing with "supermen" where you hear things such as "on jest supermenem".

I guess that the reason for this could be that "men" is the more natural sound in Polish, but then how comes they went with "man" in barman and barmanka?
mafketisThreads: 17
Posts: 1,880
Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 20, 09, 22:40    #10
I think it might be vowel harmony,

basically Polish doesn't have the sound in English 'man' and to Poles it sounds like either Polish a or e depending on the context and the choice of e or a in borrowings from English seems to depend on the previous vowel

barman
rockman (rocker)

dżentelmen (gentleman)
biznesmen
supermen

There might be some exceptions but I think that makes some sense.
tomekcatkinsThreads: 13
Posts: 173
Joined: Oct 9, 07 ♂ 		 Aug 21, 09, 00:26    #11
The Americans tend to speak the 'a' as an 'e', so maybe the Polish adopted the "American pronunciation".
As well I believe the British pronounce the 'a' in 'gentleman' more as an 'u' (as in 'run') then as an 'a'.
SashaThreads: 2
Posts: 1,597
Joined: Apr 19, 08  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 21, 09, 04:54    #12
mafketis:
huj

Does it have same meaning as it does in Russian? :))
mafketisThreads: 17
Posts: 1,880
Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 21, 09, 11:05    #13
(c)huj in Polish refers to a uniquely male part of the anatomy.
SashaThreads: 2
Posts: 1,597
Joined: Apr 19, 08  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 21, 09, 11:14    #14
mafketis:
(c)huj in Polish refers to a uniquely male part of the anatomy.

So your answer is yes. :) That's interesting... I didn't any other Slavs used it in this meaning, a lot understand though.
cinekThreads: 1
Posts: 264
Joined: Nov 16, 07 ♂ 		 Aug 21, 09, 23:45    #15
Sasha:
I didn't any other Slavs used it in this meaning

Not only this one...
Polonius3Threads: 1,005
Posts: 4,834
Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 22, 09, 13:35    #16
Sasha - Kak nazywajetsja eto pa russki? Chwost?
(What's it in Russian - khvost?)
Polonius3Threads: 1,005
Posts: 4,834
Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 22, 09, 16:04    #17
Doesn't tusz (as in wziąć tusz) exist in Polish anymore for shower? Presumably from French douche. I think I saw it in Dyzma, but maybe that was pre-war Polish.
LorencThreads: 6
Posts: 30
Joined: May 13, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 22, 09, 23:01    #18
I'd like to make some side remarks prompted by the etymologies quoted by tomekcatkins in the first message. First, according to Polish Wikipedia http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasol the Polish word "parasol" comes from Italian "parasole":
"Słowo parasol pochodzi od włoskiego parasole co dosłownie znaczy słońcochron."
In turn, the Italian word "parasole" is composed by "para-", a common prefix meaning "to shelter" and "sole" (sun).
I don't know if Italian "parasole" is truly an Italian invention or if it was taken by some other (necessarily romance) language. In any case, as far as I know, the common words for it in Spanish are quitasol or sombrilla.
About "doccia", according to the Garzanti dictionary, it comes from Latin "ductione(m)", in meaning (water) duct/pipe [naturally, ductionem does ultimately come from "ducere"=to conduct/lead, so the quoted etymology is not incorrect].

Turning to Polish, something a noticed in my little experience with it is that it sometimes (often?) uses different words than most other European languages, including slavic ones.
Take, for example, the word "moon"/księżyc; its name in other slavic languages is (looking at wikipedia):

Polish: Księżyc
Czech: Měsíc
Slovak:Mesiac
Croatian: Mjesec
Slovene: Luna
Bulgarian: Луна
Russian: Луна
Ukrainian: Місяць
Belorussian: Месяц
Macedonian: Месечина

A part from Polish, we can see in all these languages the occurrence of the Latin (and modern Italian, Spanish, French etc.) root "Luna" or of a slavic root exemplified by e.g. Czech Měsíc. Why not in Polish? What's the etymology of księżyc ?
mafketisThreads: 17
Posts: 1,880
Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 22, 09, 23:26    #19
Polonius3:
Doesn't tusz (as in wziąć tusz) exist in Polish anymore for shower?

Never heard it. I've only heard tusz in the meaning 'ink' (especially computer printers) and 'mascara'.
SashaThreads: 2
Posts: 1,597
Joined: Apr 19, 08  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 23, 09, 12:46    #20
cinek:
Not only this one...

Russian too. My Czech friend understand that as well.

Polonius3:
Sasha - Kak nazywajetsja eto pa russki? Chwost?
(What's it in Russian - khvost?)

Polonius I think I got your logic. :) Did you look up the etymology of the word "huj"?
Khvost means "tail". E.g. dog's tail=psiny khvost.

Lorenc:
Russian: Луна

Actually both: luna and mesjac. Depending on a stage of a month. When it's round it's luna, when it's half or less then mesjac. Although nobody pays attention to that fact and everyone picks the word he wants. Luna is more romantic word I guess... so if you have a stroll with a gall better use "luna".
Polonius3Threads: 1,005
Posts: 4,834
Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 23, 09, 15:15    #21
I think I read somewhere once that it came form książę - meaning a princely celestial body, but not sure???
Polonius3Threads: 1,005
Posts: 4,834
Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 23, 09, 16:00    #22
I know many feel Wikipedia is none too reliable but it does include tusz as shower:

Tusz
Nazwa tego hasła odnosi się do więcej niż jednego pojęcia.
tusz (farba)
rysunek wykonany tuszem
kosmetyk do rzęs
prysznic, natrysk
fanfara
touche (szermierka) (czyt. tusz) – dotknięcie przeciwnika bronią
tusz (zapasy) – położenie przeciwnika na łopatki
panama  Jan 8, 10, 21:41    #23
the best word ever in Polish - wichajster (wie heisst er)
LenkaThreads: -
Posts: 241
Joined: Nov 17, 09 ♀ 		 Jan 8, 10, 21:53    #24
"Tuszę" can also mean:"I think","in my opinion" but it's not used today.
vetalaThreads: -
Posts: 512
Joined: Jul 10, 09 ♀ 		Edited by: vetala  Jan 8, 10, 22:27    #25
Lorenc:
A part from Polish, we can see in all these languages the occurrence of the Latin (and modern Italian, Spanish, French etc.) root "Luna" or of a slavic root exemplified by e.g. Czech Měsíc. Why not in Polish? What's the etymology of księżyc ?

'Miesiąc' used to mean 'moon' a long time ago but now it's no longer used in this context (now it means 'month'). It's the same with many other words such as 'lico' old Polish for face, still in use in some other Slavic languages.
ZafriraThreads: -
Posts: 6
Joined: Dec 16, 09 ♀ 		 Jan 8, 10, 23:47    #26
According to Wikipedia, the word 'księżyc" centuries ago meant "książę" = "prince". The general name for moon was then, as Vetala wrote, "miesiąc", but every month the moon was believed to be a young son of the former one ("king"), that's why between new moon and the first quarter it was called prince, "księżyc". Later on it became a general name and replaced "miesiąc".
enkiduThreads: 18
Posts: 983
Joined: Sep 23, 08 ♂ 		 Jan 9, 10, 03:11    #27
Fart - sudden struck of luck. Like when you avoid car accident by inches.
Then you fart.
barcelonesa  Apr 1, 11, 03:48    #28
But the Spanish word for umbrella is paraguas--literally "para" (for) + "agua" (water).
ChrzaszczThreads: 19
Posts: 136
Joined: Jul 4, 11 ♂ 		 Nov 6, 11, 20:40    #29
Of course, the English word 'Lunatic' has derived from 'lunaticus' believing the moon has an effect on mental health.
There was once a Lunacy Act 1890-1922.
JonnyMThreads: 16
Posts: 4,487
Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂ 		 Nov 6, 11, 21:12    #30
Trust me, it does.

Ask anyone who's worked in an asylum.


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