6 ms·

"munt" is the Dutch word for coin.

• bpicolo 9y ago
  But it's derogatory in English https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/munt https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/munt
  • escapologybb 9y ago
    Probably unnecessary nitpick, but here goes: the actual derogatory term is "Munter" rather than just simply the word "Munt". For example, I saw [INSERT NAME HERE] and they were looking like a total Munter. when it is used in a derogatory sense I think it is more often used when talking about [INSERT APPROPRIATE PRONOUN FOR PERSON WITH VAGINA HERE], but as far as I'm aware it can be applied to both/all/neither/X sexes/genders/species. ETA: This is my second edit because apparently I don't understand how HN works after all this time. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
    • spiralx 9y ago
      A munter is also someone who takes drugs, it comes from the context of taking pills at clubs - a munter munting gets munted.
      • escapologybb 9y ago
        Weird, it seems I can reply to you directly. Does anyone know why the "reply" button wasn't instantly available to me? Here is my response again in case you are getting notifications and don't see my edited reply: "I can't seem to reply to the reply to this reply, but I think when someone takes too many drugs they are classically known as being "Munted"."
        • codetrotter 9y ago
          HN hides the reply button for a little while to prevent flame wars. You can reply without waiting by clicking “x minutes ago” on the comment.
          • escapologybb 9y ago
            ^ This. Here, have an Internet hug: {huggle}. This is going to save me literally seconds over the course of my lifetime, and as one with absolutely no patience with how slow computers are this is the best thing I've learnt this week. This is also coming across as a really sarcastic reply, but it's really, genuinely not and I am very grateful that you pointed this out. Again, see hugs above.
            • codetrotter 9y ago
              You are welcome, happy to help :)
      • escapologybb 9y ago
        Interesting, I always equated pills with "munted" but those other permutations always meant something very different. Maybe it's a regional thing in the UK?
        • spiralx 9y ago
          Wiktionary says that munter and munted are from New Zealand, which I'm not sure about but could give it a regional spread - it's been common here in London for nearly two decades, but we have quite a few Anzacs here!
    • codetrotter 9y ago
      Meanwhile “å være munter” in Norwegian means “to be cheerful”.
      • svenvdz 9y ago
        Lovely
    • TallGuyShort 9y ago
      >> the actual derogatory term is No, the Oxford dictionary definition for the product's name as cited is correct in the regions it says it is. The existence of other, similar derogatory terms in other regions is secondary, if anything.
      • escapologybb 9y ago
        Fair enough. My apologies, when I looked at the link I didn't notice it was for a particular region and not the UK. You are absolutely correct.
• maccard 9y ago
  Unfortunately common things in one language often mean other things in another language. The author is clearly trying to share this with the English speaking world, (the site is English after all), so it stands to reason that you would choose your words carefully in English.
  • blunte 9y ago
    If you survey Americans, I think you would find a very small percentage who had ever heard the word "munt".
    • OrganicMSG 9y ago
      Or Zune, even now.
  • disconnected 9y ago
    That is more difficult than it may appear. Sometimes you need people that are pretty immersed in a culture to know about these things and avoid shooting yourself in the foot. Hyundai, for example, almost made the mistake of releasing a vehicle named Kona in Portugal. Kona is a pretty harmless word in most contexts, but "kona" reads exactly like "cona" for a Portuguese speaker, and "cona" is slag for "vagina". Oops. They renamed it Kauai for the Portuguese market, IIRC.
    • klmr 9y ago
      There’s also the Ford Pinto. In Brazilian (!) Portuguese, “pinto” is close to the male equivalent of “cona”.
    • maccard 9y ago
      In the general case, yes. But googling for Munt will tell you that it's not really a suitable name for a product.
• spacenick88 9y ago
  Interesting, so since it is/was used primarily in South Africa and Afrikaans has its roots in Dutch I'd guess that's actually the root of the derogatory use as well. As in "people traded with coin".
  • mettamage 9y ago
    Not only used in South Africa, but I had a similar thought as well.