When Nicholas and I were coming back from Uruguay we were waiting to cross a street for the bus. A little boy stepped out too far and the father yelled at him calling him "Pancho". I told Nicholas "That father just called his son hot dog!", Nicholas said the kid didn't look too happy about it. We both laughed.Today I just learned that "Pancho" (hot dog) is a nickname for Francisco!!! I guess it has something to do with "Frank"? Too funny! Poor little Pancho!
I also learned today that the common drink here for guys "Fernet and coke" is called a "Fernando".
2 comments:
En realidad la palabra "pancho" tiene dos significados en la Argentina:
1) El primero como acrónimo de las palabras "pan" y "chorizo", que se usa para designar los emparedados de salchicha ("hot dogs") pero a los emparedados de chorizo se los llama "choripan")
2) El segundo como hipocorístico, es decir, nombre cariñoso o familiar que se usa para designar a las personas llamadas "Francisco"
(Curiosamente, el jefe revolucionario mexicano conocido como Pancho Villa no se llamaba Francisco)
I find nicknames in other languages interesting. The common nickname for Jose is "Pepe." In Russian, the nickname or contraction for Alexandra is "Sasha."
In English, it seems we just shorten things up, or lop off a syllable or two, although names like "Bill" and "Bob" are exceptions to that.
I knew Pancho was a nickname for Francisco, but until your note from Anquises, I didn't know that Pancho Villa's name never included Francisco :)
And now I know why hot dog is called hot dog, too!
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