CJ's little challenge with the tripping cheese reminded me of something:

A few years ago in Greece, a number of expressions became very popular, which were Greek phrases but sounded like words from from another language (without actually meaning anything at all in the foreign language), especially when recited with the appropriate accent. This would induce peals of laughter. I don't know if the humor will come through but a few examples are:

Misu siru to kasoni = I'd better not drag your crate. (What language do you think that is supposed to sound like?)

Reich in re bitte = It's shallow, come on in. (this one?)

Lamia Volo me caro = Going from Lamia (a town) to Volos (another town) by cart. (how about this?)

Has anything like this ever been popular in English?

Popular? Perhaps not, but I love it.

A book published some years ago purported, tongue in cheek, to be a recently-discovered manuscript of medieval french poetry, with the author's scholarly footnotes appended. It included, for example,

Un petit d’un petit
S’étonne aux Halles
Un petit d’un petit
Ah ! degrés te fallent.
Indolent qui ne sort cesse
Indolent qui ne se mène
Qu’importe un petit d’un petit
Tout Gai de Reguennes.

The book was titled Mots d’heures: Gousses, Rames. Help is available here.

I am reminded of a cartoon - In the New Yorker, I think - that depicted a waiter at a French restaurant saying to the patron, "Now that you have told me to unsaddle the horses, the inn keeper has been struck by lightning, would you care to order in English?"

I am also reminded of a time many years ago when I worked with several Swedes. I learned just enough Swedish to be dangerous, and, when a very pretty young woman walked past us, I called to one of the Swedes, "Hej, Arne, brau fita!" Arne doubled over in laughter, since I should have said "flika," the word for "girl," not "fita," the slang term for a particular part of her anatomy

My guesses would be Japanese, German, and Italian.

And no, I don't think anything similar has occurred here in the states although fluent foreign language gibberish (Sid Caesar was and is an expert) has enjoyed some popularity.

I don't think anything similar has occurred here in the states although fluent
foreign language gibberish (Sid Caesar was and is an expert) has enjoyed some
popularity.
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Andy Kaufman was also very good at it. He was the one and only reason that I watched "Taxi." There is also a scene in one of the Rambo spoof movies wherein product names are used to imitate an aboriginal American language. I'll try to find which movie it was, since I found the scene to be hilarious

About the only thing I can think of to add to this thread, is the nonsensical wording on a poster my brother had hanging on his bedroom wall when we were kids:

Am eye see
Kay he why
Am oh you as he!

quote:

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My guesses would be Japanese, German, and Italian.

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You got it, CJ!

Similarly, Kurt Vonnegut once wrote a poem entitled "Tent Rentals" which went:

Rented a tent, a tent, a tent.
Rented a tent, a tent, a tent.
Rented a tent! Rented a tent!
Rented a, rented a tent!

Recite it out loud and you find yourself doing a near perfect impression of a snare drum.

(God, how I love our language!!)

That reminds me of a true story a friend told me, CJ. He was saying how he loves the way English speakers love to play with language even at the most unexpected times. Here is an instance of this that he came across in the US.

It was early winter and as he was driving down the street, he noticed a store selling camping gear at half price. The sign read:

"Now is the Winter of Our Discount Tent"

He just had to go in and buy one!

Now is the Winter of Our Discount Tent"
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If your firend's family name were York, it would be perfect! The shop owner would have finished, ssmiling brightly while fondling his money, "...made glorious summer by this sum of York."

Ha ha! Unfortunately (or fortunately) life isn't always as perfect as that!

We have a local firm of estate agents (US: realtors) named Haart. They use the wonderful slogan "Haart is where the home is."

And although one of their employees is an avid golfer, he assiduously gives precedence to the duties of his employment, thereby "putting the Haart before the course".

Oy vey!

arnie, I presume that you too have the custom in real-estate sales of posting the agent's business-sign at the premises.

When they have sold a house, do they change that sign to state "Haart and Sold"?

quote:

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do they change that sign to state "Haart and Sold"?

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Perhaps I'll suggest that to them. If they pay me an advertising consultancy fee I'll split it with you.

quote:

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Perhaps I'll suggest that to them. If they pay me an advertising consultancy fee I'll split it with you.

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Now, why couldn't I have come up with a cute line, shufitz?!

Many years ago there was a Yiddish song entitled, "Deer, Harts, and Gentile People"

quote:

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If they pay me an advertising consultancy fee I'll split it with you.

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I'm not quitting my day job.

By the way, does anyone know anything of the origin of that expression?