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> In English we have the saying, "to speak to someone like a Dutch uncle." Do we? What does it mean?
by circlefavshape 1y ago
> In English we have the saying, "to speak to someone like a Dutch uncle."
Do we? What does it mean?
- throwanem 1y agoWe do! It means to give advice in rough or harsh fashion, either with the intent of bracing one's interlocutor to attend the advice given, or simply for not caring at all to soft-pedal or sugarcoat. This is actually one of a small class of now somewhat archaic English epithets. I believe the most common survivor is "going Dutch" or "Dutch treat," which was current if slightly oldfashioned as recently as my now three decades gone childhood. That refers to a date or other group event wherein everyone pays their own way, with the heavy implication that whoever made such an invitation (or surprised their party with the news!) is a cheapskate jerk for not at least offering pro forma also to cover the tab. None of these 'Dutch' expressions ("Dutch courage," for alcohol, is another I've seen in live use) is complimentary in original intent, because they date from some dreary war or other in the 1600s that I believe the English lost. More at Wiktionary and, from there, Wikipedia: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dutch_uncle https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dutch_uncle