Honk (swear word)

Honk is a slang and derogatory term for a stupid person in the sense of a fool or an idiot . The term taken up in Duden comes from the English-American slang honk (y) for " white man "; however, the origin is unclear.

Word origin

Actually, the word honk in English the cry of a goose ; derived from this the sound of a horn . The Online Etymology Dictionary provides an origin from the African-American slang honky what similar hunk stood for a white immigrants from Central or Eastern Europe, whose origin was unclear and similar in English hun (dt. Huns ) mostly with today's Hungary was associated . Especially in the Blues -slang been since 1946 with honky or hunk even simple sidekick in factories ( "factory hands") named.

Meaning in German

The swear word in German is often aimed at a lack of education and a lack of specialist knowledge. The offensive meaning often only emerges contextually (“You Honk!”). The term became popular in German-speaking countries as a neologism from the youth language of the 2000s and also reinterpreted as an acronym . Presumably in Berlin , it was first used as an abbreviation for secondary school students without any significant knowledge . At Spiegel Online , Jochen Leffers defined a honk as a helper without any significant knowledge . With the prefix full , the insult can be expressed in a stronger way, similar to Vollpfosten (“Vollhonk”). The Süddeutsche Zeitung chose this expression as number 11 of the swear words of the sports year 2011 .

Trivia

Otto Waalkes uses Honk as the name of an Ottifanten - teddy , derived from a label on the teddy bear that reads "Made in Hong Kong ".

Web links

Wiktionary: Honk - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

↑ Honk, the. In: duden.de. Retrieved April 11, 2019 .
↑ honk (n.). In: Online Etymology Dictionary , accessed March 28, 2019.
↑ honky (n.). In: Online Etymology Dictionary , accessed May 5, 2020.
↑ ^a ^b Ernst Rösner: Secondary school at the end. In: Waxmann Verlag , Münster 2007, ISBN 3-8309-6890-6 , p. 16.
↑ Gert Ueding , Gregor Kalivoda (Ed.): Historical Dictionary of Rhetoric: Insult , Volume 10. Walter de Gruyter , 2012, ISBN 3-11-026015-8 , p. 119.
↑ From knorke to gaga - the development of youth language. In: Spiegel Online , June 2, 2008, accessed March 27, 2019.
↑ Martin Spiewak : What parents want. In: Die Zeit , No. 6/2010.
↑ Jochen Leffers: The little swear word Abc. In: Spiegel Online , accessed on February 3, 2015.
^ The swear words of the sports year. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 31, 2011, accessed on February 3, 2015.
↑ Otto Waalkes : Vote Honk! In: Ottos Ottifanten , Volume 15, Achterbahn Verlag , ISBN 3-89719-178-4 .

[1] Honk, the. In: duden.de. Retrieved April 11, 2019 .

[2] honk (n.). In: Online Etymology Dictionary , accessed March 28, 2019.

[3] honky (n.). In: Online Etymology Dictionary , accessed May 5, 2020.

[er-4] Ernst Rösner: Secondary school at the end. In: Waxmann Verlag , Münster 2007, ISBN 3-8309-6890-6 , p. 16.

[5] Gert Ueding , Gregor Kalivoda (Ed.): Historical Dictionary of Rhetoric: Insult , Volume 10. Walter de Gruyter , 2012, ISBN 3-11-026015-8 , p. 119.

[6] From knorke to gaga - the development of youth language. In: Spiegel Online , June 2, 2008, accessed March 27, 2019.

[7] Martin Spiewak : What parents want. In: Die Zeit , No. 6/2010.

[8] Jochen Leffers: The little swear word Abc. In: Spiegel Online , accessed on February 3, 2015.

[9] The swear words of the sports year. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 31, 2011, accessed on February 3, 2015.

[10] Otto Waalkes : Vote Honk! In: Ottos Ottifanten , Volume 15, Achterbahn Verlag , ISBN 3-89719-178-4 .