Hacerse el longuis

[EmpanadaRica]

¿ Alguien podría explicarme esta expresión, por favor?
(Lo siento, no tengo contexto)

[Tomisimo]

Parece que significa "hacerse el inocente/hacerse el distraído".

[EmpanadaRica]

Ah bueno, entonces 'to act innocent'? (pretend like you know nothing)


¡Gracias, Tomisimo!

(¿Alguien sabe de donde viene la palabra/el nombre 'longuis' ?)

[irmamar]

It comes from caló (gypsy language). Longui = inocente.

Don't you know any word in caló?

Pinrel: foot
Fetén: good
Piltra: bed
Pirarse: go away
Camelar: to get to fall in love
etc.

These words are used commonly in Spain, though many people doesn't know they are gypsy words. I know them because my father lived in a place where there were a lot of gypsies when he was a child, and he used to say these words, so I added them to my vocabulary.

[EmpanadaRica]

Originally Posted by irmamar

It comes from caló (gypsy language). Longui = inocente.

Don't you know any word in caló?

Sure I have a gypsy caló dictionary here lying on my bedstand..

Pinrel: foot
Fetén: good
Piltra: bed
Pirarse: go away
Camelar: to get to fall in love
etc.

These words are used commonly in Spain, though many people doesn't know they are gypsy words. I know them because my father lived in a place where there were a lot of gypsies when he was a child, and he used to say these words, so I added them to my vocabulary.

Gracias , es muy interesante !!!

I don't think I have come across one yet but then there are a lot of words I don't know yet so perhaps I have but didn't 'filter' them properly.

It' s fascinating that the gypsy language has been 'absorbed' in Spanish and is still being used to date..!

I imagine there are a lot of words originating from Arab as well in Spanish though they may habe altered over the course of years (apart from the usual kahve/ coffee and such which you see in all languages) ?

I think learning them was a very good idea Irma because it makes you appreciate the richness of your own language and understand it better too!!

I'm now determined to learn some Spanish gypsy words too..

¡Gracias!

[irmamar]

If you learn Spanish, you'll learn gypsy words

I think caló is disappearing. When I listen to Gypsies speaking, they speak a mix of Caló and Spanish (so one is able to understand them if you know a few words), and young people speaks Spanish. I think Caló is a very funny language, I like these words, I use them if I know I'm going to be understood

And yes, there are a lot of Arabic words and towns / cities with an Arabic origin (usually they begin with al- or ben-,)

[EmpanadaRica]

Originally Posted by irmamar

If you learn Spanish, you'll learn gypsy words

I think caló is disappearing. When I listen to Gypsies speaking, they speak a mix of Caló and Spanish (so one is able to understand them if you know a few words), and young people speaks Spanish. I think Caló is a very funny language, I like these words, I use them if I know I'm going to be understood

Ahh yes like one of the many endangered languages in this world I'm afraid.. I think there are quite a few on the European list (I believe it's a list from UNECO if I am not mistaken). It happens a lot due to urbanization and the younger generations not wanting to keep the traditions or not seeing the point of it, because it does not help them get a (good) job.. so languages are in fact getting extinct all over the world.

And yes, there are a lot of Arabic words and towns / cities with an Arabic origin (usually they begin with al- or ben-,)

Ah yes I remember those from when I was in Morocco as well. It will be interesting to discover these Arab words.

I always thought the 'tulip' to be a very 'Dutch' symbol.. of course it is but it turns out we just nicked it from the Turkish, imported it and then sold it.. Ha, good entrepeneurship is what they call it..
The word tulip actually comes from the Arabic word tülbent, i.e. 'turban'.

via Du. or Ger. tulpe, Fr. tulipe "a tulip," all ult. from Turk. tülbent "turban," also "gauze, muslin," from Pers. dulband "turban;" so called from the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban. Introduced from Turkey to Europe, where the earliest known instance of a tulip flowering in cultivation is 1559 in the garden of Johann Heinrich Herwart in Augsburg; popularized in Holland after 1587 by Clusius

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tulip

[María José]

In my family hacerse el longuis meant something slightly different. If there was work to do and I pretended not to notice because I didn't want to help, my parents would say: Niña, no te hagas la longuis.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by María José

In my family hacerse el longuis meant something slightly different. If there was work to do and I pretended not to notice because I didn't want to help, my parents would say: Niña, no te hagas la longuis.

I agree, I've also heard it with that meaning

[ROBINDESBOIS]

I didn´t know those words came fro caló. I have heard them all in my village. They sound very colloquial.
Hacerse el longuis es lo mismo que hacerse el sueco = To pretend not to hear or see.

[irmamar]

We say a lot of words in caló and we don't know it.