Not to Be Confused with Hieronymus

Support for A Way with Words is provided by Mozy Pro Online Backup.

Mozy Pro protects your business’s data with simple, secure, and affordable backup solutions.

Find out more at mosey.com slash words.

Hi, it’s another minicast from A Way with Words.

I’m Martha Barnette.

We hope you’re enjoying your summer, unless, of course, you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

In which case, hola! And how’s it?

And we hope you’re enjoying your winter.

Recently, we received a call from Benjamin.

He’s a Lutheran pastor in Duncanville, Texas.

And Benjamin had been curious about a word he came across in a biography of a French statesman.

Now, this word appeared to be a derogatory reference to Germans.

Benjamin’s question was, just how derogatory or offensive is it?

And it has nothing to do with Bruce Springsteen, right?

Virtually nothing, I’m pretty sure.

Okay. So how are you spelling it?

B-O-S-C-H.

Oh, B-O-S-C-H. Okay.

Yeah, I came across it also as having a variant B-O-S-C-H-E, depending on if you’re using it as an English speaker or a French speaker.

Okay. Okay. And it was used in a derogatory way?

Well, it would seem to be. Clemenceau is always referring to the Bosch, and it was pretty clear from the context of the Germans during World War I.

This is an interesting word. It’s got a bit of a history there.

It is derogatory. We should just make that plain.

It was never widely used in the United States during World War I or World War II, but it was known here among certain communities.

I first encountered this book in the stories of Robert Jaynes.

He writes mystery fiction about a pair of German and French detectives working together in occupied Paris during World War II.

And it’s B-O-C-H-E, right?

And it’s Bosch or Bosch, something like that.

And ultimately, the word comes from an expression meaning head of wood.

And so, but by way of, you know, the usual etymological path of a little borrowing here, a little changing in there, and then ultimately becomes shortened to something that’s easy to say.

And, yeah, it’s not, even if Clemenceau was using it, it’s not necessarily a word that you ever want to use to a German.

They will probably still take offense.

It was interesting because I said, well, I might as well look it up for myself finally after seven years.

And the reference I found made reference to possibly cabbage, too, as a meaning, like cabbage.

Yeah, I could see that.

Yeah, I was looking in the Le Nouveau Petit Robert of 2008, and it specifically says there that it’s injurious, and that it probably comes from a word, a shortening of a word, albosh, A-L-B-O-C-H-E, which is in turn an alteration of the slang alamos, which is a mix of the word for German, which is A-L-L-E-M-A-N-D.

And the expression tête de bouche, and bouche is a slang or dialect word for bois, which is wood.

So ultimately it came from something meaning head of wood.

Okay.

Not heads, maybe, is a better way to translate it in English.

Oh, that’s good.

So it sounds mild in English, but if you’re listening to French, it’s another story, huh?

I was going to say a just right, too, with that proper French pronunciation.

Right.

Yeah, it is dated also.

Like I said, they’ll understand it, but it’d be like Americans or Brits calling Germans Huns, which is just, you’re going to sound pretty silly using it as an insult.

Yeah, that’s a good analogy.

So cool. I hope we helped you some there. Is that all right, Benjamin?

Yep, and I’ll definitely not be using it in any future sermons.

No, I would stick to the words of joy and love and peace.

Thank you so much.

All right, bye-bye.

Bye.

Do you know how they say whippoorwill in French, Grant?

They don’t because they don’t have the bird in France.

Oh, they don’t?

No, I don’t think so, no.

No, it’s bois pourri, which is putrid wood because they live in old tree stumps.

Why I know this stuff, I don’t know.

It’s been in my head for years.

Like potpourri is putrid pot.

Well, I don’t know that Grant was all that excited about the French word for whippoorwill coming from the French word for wood, but I thought it was cool.

What about you?

Is there a word that’s been on the back burner of your mind?

Why not move it to that front burner and call us right now?

The number is 1-877-929-9673.

You can leave us a message there.

Or you can send an email to words@waywordradio.org.

And before we go, I’d like to leave you with this thought from Quincy Jones.

He said, I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, ain’t that the truth?

I’ll say, Quincy, ain’t that the truth?

Well, thanks for listening.

I’m Martha Barnette.