cafebabel.com

Europe-gate. Or how to name criminal investigations across Europe

('Tansy Larsen',) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:15:00 -0000

Things are hotting up in Spain’s courts with the 'Gürtel' case. How does a Spanish juridical affair end up with a German name? European investigation titles go on trial

Salami strategy: the art of ‘wullfing’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:21:39 -0000

With its Hungarian origins, this sausage of a saying provides European inspiration to help the German head of state Christian Wulff worm his way out of the current corruption scandal

Dinner for one in 2012

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:32:23 -0000

The Brits have spent the end of year in a 'lull' whilst the Germans are going through 'new year's fatigue'. In their new year's addresses at least, Europe's Franco-German leaders warned us it won't be getting any better this new year

Itanglish: new Italian dialect?

('Sebastian Baciu',) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:00:00 -0000

With their trendy gossip over social media, sometimes in a chat live online, Italians have integrated English words into their common vocabulary to a surprising extent. Does Italy still speak Italian? Or has the country switched to Itanglish, the new Anglo-Italian hybrid dialect?

European words of 2011

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:03:26 -0000

Whilst lexicographers from the UK, Germany, France and Spain have released their sometimes odd ‘words of the year’, we’ve taken the liberty of grading the results from 1-10 and naming our own favourites

Tearjerker tips for Europe in crisis

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:01:07 -0000

Read ‘em and weep: ‘tearjerker’ is a noun which translates practically perfectly into other European languages. It is used mostly to describe a film, book, play or song which moves us to tears. The entertainment industry gets an excessively sentimental Europe down, but these pearls could also abate our crisis-ridden depression

A-Z glossary of European terms of endearment

('Marta Nathansohn',) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:00:11 -0000

From the coasts of Portugal via the Balkans to the Urals, locals become cannibals, zoophiles, astronomers and gastronomists when they give their lovers pet names. Here are some tips on nicknames to use when trying to hit on that cute foreign boy or girl, whether you are serious about hooking up abroad or just having a good-natured laugh

Big city life: Europe’s pigeons

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:45:00 -0000

Doves and pigeons are one and the same except that the former got the 'symbol of peace' gig and the latter became the grey critters affectionately known as ‘rats with wings’. Whence the flight of fancy?

Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0000

The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish

Post-World Cup guide to language of European rugby

('ZoeBBee',) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:10:57 -0000

On 23 October, France lost to New Zealand at Auckland’s eden park. At the rugby world cup final, France had the 'all blacks' seriously worried, with just a point in it. If you’d have liked a European victory, this little article is your consolation prize: a chance to become multi-rugby-lingual

'Pie chart' becomes 'camembert' chart in French class

('ZoeBBee',) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:12:49 -0000

The current economic climate is enough to give you indigestion, but I rue our European economics experts having the idea of using charts resembling food. It gives students like myself grumbling tummies everytime we attend economics class

ABV guide to learning your Serbian (from your Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian)

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:38:35 -0000

To hail the European day of languages on 26 September, cafebabel.com tries to learn Serbian. The short rocket takes us past planet Cyrillic alphabet and planet Latin alphabet, before speeding through planet lexical history and firing off into next-door neighbour space

Holy summer of '63

('Sarah Meleleu',) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:48:08 -0000

Be it the word for ‘dead leaves’ in German, holiness or simple Latin - how European use of the word 'holiday' has evolved

Why the English love a bit of German ‘angst’ or Spanish ‘macho’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:12:37 -0000

We simply can’t help it. It’s practically impossible for a European to speak his or her native language entirely. Expressions crop up which have (almost) been taken on word for word from other European languages. Maybe the Norwegians should exercise caution though with their 'Vor-' and 'Nachspiels'...

Holy wow!

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:00:09 -0000

Are you more a Sacre bleu! or a Gosh-Golly-Goodness squealer? Do you Mamma Mia! or prefer a bit of Jesus Christ in that equation? Blasphemy and the art of exasperation are part and parcel of the phrase of the week, as seen through cafebabel.com's six official tongues

Champagne socialism: rewriting the left

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:45:00 -0000

When the left become part of the bourgeoisie, the journalistic expressions describing them often take on an expensive culinary flavour. It’s almost as though the press had an appetite for delicious scandals…

Germans ban ‘I Like’ facebook button, Spanish want to ‘Dislike’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:04:43 -0000

The north German state Schleswig Holstein has announced that it is banning facebook’s famous ‘I like’ button, with websites which haven’t removed it before the end of September facing fines of up to 50, 000 euros (44,000 pounds). Whilst Germany and the UK have raised more general concerns, the Spanish were there first

Pass the buck, Murdoch and Brooks

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:13:10 -0000

During the British parliamentary hearing of the news tycoon Murdochs on 19 July, a friend analysed the 'father-and-son's game of patty-cake': 'I pass the buck to you, you pass it back. Pass pass pass pass, oh, and then pass it to competitor papers, because it's clearly their fault. And then pass it to News of the World because how can one or two men be responsible for a company that's just SO big?' Is it a phrase which translates well to other European idioms?

Handbag politics: Italian Thatcher would've eaten pasta from off the top of your head

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:53:24 -0000

To celebrate the former British prime minister's handbag fetching £25, 000 at a charity auction on 27 June, we looked for European equivalents to her famous 'handbag politics' to intimidate those around her. A German or Polish Thatcher would have used lyrical 'sleeves' and 'pockets' to put the pressure on you. Word concept of the week

One man show

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:28:03 -0000

Ultimately, 'babelians' all self-identify as one-men shows of sorts: young journalists who write, take photos, film reports, translate and freelance as well as look for other jobs on the side. But enough about us. Idiom of the week

Identikit of a pure, indigenous European

('Aatish Pattni',) — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:30:00 -0000

The True Finns are the third largest political party in Finland. Are these nationalists and eurosceptics an exception to the rule in their Nordic region? Alongside the new leader of the National Front party in France, Marine Le Pen, the collection of ‘Indigenous Britons’ in the UK and Italy's Northern League, Europe has never been more inhabited by so-called ‘pure’ Europeans. There are fewer than they would have us believe; at the risk of scaring those who wish it to stay that way

Ethnic slurs: Polacks and roast beef versus frogs and krauts

('Laura',) — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:00:00 -0000

Europeans call each other the most unfriendly pet names in the trend of the phenomenon of ‘etnopaulism’, which refers to those disparaging vocabularies used when talking about other people. Word dilemmas of the week

Censorship: EU vs Turkey's 138 internet domain name ban

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:06:11 -0000

Rated ‘partially free’ in the reporters without borders freedom index, Turkey is the European country with the highest amount of domain name bans. The Turkish telecommunications directorate list of 'expurgatorial words' - for example, you can't use the word for sister-in-law (Bildaz) - was sent to web hosting companies on 28 April. In the EU there are less amusing comparisons

Fare dodger, stowaway or free rider?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:15:00 -0000

Does the Arab uprising mean more 'stowaways' for Europe? Why does a stowaway in French mean the same thing as a fare dodger? Why is fare dodging in Italy called 'pulling a Portuguese'? Expression of the week

Pure player

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:29:39 -0000

Two English words swim around a country where anglicisms have managed to stay out of fashion. An era of internet business models is turning that counter-trend around, focussed mainly on the French and American e-media landscapes. Backgammon and ladies men have nothing to do with it (anymore). Phrase of the week

Monster-in-law

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0000

'Give up all hope of peace so long as your mother-in-law is alive!' So goes the first century AD jibe by Roman satirist Juvenal. In many respects, Europeans share a common opinion when it comes to the woman who gave birth to their other halves. Be she a Spanish suegra, Italian suocera or Portuguese and Catalan sogra, mother-in-law universally translates into all languages as ‘monster-in-law’!

Bunga bunga: European hanky panky guide for Mr. Berlusconi

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:45:00 -0000

The Italian fairytale has caused waves across Europe. We Italians can be proud to have exported a word out there amidst our Ferraris and mozzarella. The prime minister has revived the myth of the dying Italian stallion with a term Colonel Gadafi loaned to him, from ‘female harem’, for his orgies. Berlusconi stands trial for abuse of office on 6 April in Milan

Football viewing rights: Europe 1, Premier League 0?

('Anj',) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:44:32 -0000

UK LANDLADY USED GREEK SATELLITE FOR GAMES! screamed the headline; a British woman convicted of using a cheap European channel to let her customers watch football. Now the European court of justice is 'on the ball'. Read the story in football expressions

Google Books Ngram Viewer: scan ‘Europe’, ‘crisis’ and ‘unemployment’

('Naomi R',) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:00:00 -0000

The new online search tool can trace the history of each of the 500 billion words words in google’s 5.2 million scanned books, dating back 500 years. As Europe’s medias select their words of the year, is it time to take a step back from the terms which defined 2010?

Pisa study 2009: Europe's boys 'wet behind ears'

('Nick',) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:43:02 -0000

Wet-behind-the-ears, ‘greenhorn’ or half-baked; the results of the triannual global league table in 2009 tell us nothing about adolescent boys that we did not know before

Julian Assange pisses outside the pot

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:00:00 -0000

The Italians have a colourful expression to describe how the Australian founder of the whistleblowing site has 'crossed the line'. Other European heads of state must be ruminating on similar lines after the avalanche of revelations which have been appearing each day on the internet site WikiLeaks. Final idiom of 2010 to mark the story of 2010

Knecht Ruprecht and his motley crew of Christmas meanies

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:03:26 -0000

Santa Claus is coming to town...and so what? Europe’s christmas traditions don’t always bring nice surprises

Snitch, grass or rat?

('Nicola Potter',) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:30:00 -0000

In France, three employees having a field day ranting about their bosses on their social network pages are fired. Between these two events is a connection, the ‘rat’ who was their ‘friend’ on facebook. Between the internet and the DDR via some classic film thrillers, a glance at how to say 'snitch' in Europe

Hung out to dry

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:20:31 -0000

Mutiny! Political culture is one funny subject in the European Union. Whilst one poor English politician’s body is likened to being hanged from a tree, a French one is being popped in a cupboard whilst the Czech media can’t even translate the sense of the term when covering the story, so rife is corruption. Idiom of the week

Polish vs Lithuanian language: is your surname 'bitch' or 'vulva'?

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:50:56 -0000

Whilst the likes of The Economist alarmedly predict a major energy-security-everything conflict between Lithuania and Poland over spelling, many in both countries aren’t even aware that the issue has reached such diplomatic heights. In fact Poles in general might be unaware of it at all - language dispute of the week

Why the Swiss call Italian workers ‘baliaratt’

('Helen Dray',) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:00:00 -0000

What’s the problem when three rats devour a Swiss cheese? Nothing, except when the rats represent the 45,000 Italian workers ‘stealing jobs’ in an Italian canton of Switzerland. That's according to 60 billboards splattered over the mainly Italian-speaking canton of Tessin or Ticino. Term of the week

Portmanteau words: Denglisch in Europe

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:58:27 -0000

Europe’s hybrid languages are little spoken of though oft spoken. Trend tour of continental mouths, including Franglais, Spanglish, Italenglish, Ponglish, and so on, and so forth

European politicians: Freudian slips

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:00:00 -0000

From a French MEP's 'fellation vs inflation' confusion to the Spanish prime minister’s 'shag vs support' shambles, it's our weekly moment to delight in the continent's Lapsus Politicus

A Spaniard orders milky coffee in France

('niclaws',) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:11:40 -0000

You don’t have to head for the French capital to have problems at the café counter. In Malaga in southern Spain, you can order a 'cloud', a 'shadow' or a 'half', whereas in France you order a 'nut' ... anecdote

Death of the Italian stallion?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:24:56 -0000

An August survey reports that the myth is dying, with Italian men becoming 'too feminised'. Whilst we make up our minds, a quick filmic tribute to Italian action hero Sylvester Stallone, who has long claimed the nickname and is back on the big screen, where sexual stereotypes from Europe are prevalent. Term of the week

Europe's politician loudmouths

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:54:31 -0000

British prime minister David Cameron was accused of 'going offscript' by former foreign secretary David Miliband after a series of press conferences where he accused Pakistan of 'exporting terror'. Do Europe's eurosceptic politicians have the biggest mouths when it comes to diplomatic rows? Expression of the week

Boobquake: best of European cleavage expressions

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:27:22 -0000

When the French refer to a curvy woman's best assets, they note that 'there are a lot of people on the balcony', whilst the Spanish remark that a woman has a 'great breast-onality'. Eyebrow-raising expression of the week

Thick as thieves in Europe

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:15:00 -0000

It's better to proverbially be 'like ass and shirt' ('comme cul et chemise') in France than to be 'getting on like a house on fire', like they say in England and Germany - surely? Touring Europe's round of expressions to denote the most inseparable of friends

Not going on holiday? You're on 'staycation'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:00 -0000

It seems an eternity, but the financial crisis is only just celebrating its second birthday. The US has spawned a side effect phenomenon, a neat little neologism called the 'staycation'. The term contradicts the notion of going away on 'vacation'. People can't afford holidays and are 'staying' home. Is it clear enough?

Why do Germans sing 'Schland'?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:59:53 -0000

In a week looking to Germany appearing in a world cup semi-final (and maybe a final), the new phenomenon comes in the form of an incomprehensible chant which drops the 'Deut' out of 'Deutschland' – are the Germans too drunk to hail their country?

'Glamping' with Europe's happy campers

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:59:11 -0000

The Spanish wake up with tent poles, the French use sardines to hold their tents up, the Italians camp 'abusively' and the English invented caravans and coined 'glamorous camping' - aka glamping. What does it come to? Expressions of the week

Schweinsteiger or Pig-Climber?

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:30:00 -0000

Foreign names are not often translated into Spanish in Spain: you don’t usually hear people talking about Guillermo Shakespeare or prime minister 'Shoemaker' (Zapatero) abroad, for example. But, what would happen if foreign names were translated in every language?

Private parts

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:19:50 -0000

We stand on the doorstep of a subject which is a lot more intimate than we think. Here is the key to another dimension of European integration - a small dictionary of sexual terminology

Greek, Romanian, Albanian: why are these racist terms in Europe?

('Helen Swain',) — Mon, 17 May 2010 10:30:00 -0000

It's a fine line between risky jokes and racist innuendo. Those who manage to be funny while staying on the right side of that line are pretty smart. Nevertheless, at a time when calls to reject that protean scapegoat, the Other, are growing throughout the four corners of the continent, a little self-examination in Europe might not be a bad thing

In the red

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:22:00 -0000

In the economic crisis, why do Italians say they are 'in the green' when Brits are 'in the red?' Tour of European expressions for all those broke joes out there