Hungarian word question--"choklo?"

"Csokolom" is short for "Kezet csokolom", kiss your hands.
Small children use it to greet adults, and very rarely adults towards old ladies.

szocske wrote:

...., and very rarely adults towards old ladies.

Dunno about rarely. Mrs Fluffy gets it quite a lot and I don't (she doesn't think) she's "old".

"old" = anyone over 40?

Perhaps more like Tu and Vous in French or Du and Sie in German.

Or in the Francophone world, when do you say Madam or Madamoiselle?

I am sure the moderators from Mauritus can tell us.

Hello fluffy2560.

Madam = Mrs = Married status
Mademoiselle = Ms = Single status

Thank you,
Aurélie

Aurélie wrote:

Hello fluffy2560.

Madam = Mrs = Married status
Mademoiselle = Ms = Single status

Thank you,
Aurélie

Ah yes, Aurélie, but when you don't know, then you guess based on age?

At what point do you say "Madam" and not "Mademoiselle"?

I think perhaps Madam if over 35?

I don't know.

I am young and I've been called "Madam" several times.

I think perhaps Madam if over 35?

Maybe. I think it is based on their physical appearance as well not only on age.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Romanians have something similar called: "Sarut mana".

It means the same "I kiss your hand" as a form of respect(from a man to a woman) and also when you are really pleased/obliged with what the other person done for you( in this situation from a woman to another woman.)

It is quite old fashion, even people are still used it today. First appeared in the countryside and from there you hear it in the cities.

fluffy2560 wrote:

szocske wrote:

...., and very rarely adults towards old ladies.

Dunno about rarely. Mrs Fluffy gets it quite a lot and I don't (she doesn't think) she's "old".

"old" = anyone over 40?

I think "old" is a relative term when it comes to how people regard each other. It's like "néni" and "bácsi" , literally "aunt" and "uncle" but can be used to refer to a woman or man considerably older than yourself. To a child, a woman in her thirties might be a "néni" but  the woman in her thirties might refer to another woman who is in her sixties as a "néni".

fidobsa wrote:

....It's like "néni" and "bácsi" , literally "aunt" and "uncle" but can be used to refer to a woman or man considerably older than yourself....

You're right of course. It's relative. I told the Fluffyettes to call their uncle bácsi and when they did, he was very offended. His comment was, "I'm not THAT old".

I think you mean the greeting csókolom - it usually used between men and it literally means "i kiss your hand"

Rjcunni wrote:

I think you mean the greeting csókolom - it usually used between men and it literally means "i kiss your hand"

I've never heard it used between adult MEN, only from men to women.

However, children (of either gender) would say it to an adult (of either gender).

fluffy2560 wrote:

However, children (of either gender) would say it to an adult (of either gender).

Agreed!

I teach my children to use proper adult greetings towards adults (jo napot kivanok: I wish you a good day) which is funny now from a 3 feet tall 6yo with multiple speech impediments, but I feel vindicated when I see my 10yo using it comfortably, and not hesitating each time between "csokolom" and "szia" like her peers. "csokolom" is reserved for their great-grandmother.

'(sz)csókolom', or the longer form "kezét csókolom" should come from the days of the Habsburg empire - the same greeting is still somewhat in use in Austria/Vienna ('Küß die Hand', cf. 'Handkuß' see
http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-en … die%20Hand
I am not too sure which country is the origin of this cultural trait. I would think hungary received it from the west, as 'kisztihand' pronounced this way is still an known but outdated expression in Hungary (you can hear it in old movies or cabaret sketches).

Before the War, say, both in Vienna and Budapest 'kissing your hand' was used as a greeting by (common?) men towards women who were older or in high(er) position. Well, a women is quickly treated a 'madam' in these cultures, especially if good looking... (They say a Viennese Caféhaus-waiter will call anyone with glasses 'Herr Doktor'

On the other hand, Romania was not part of the habsburg empire(except transilvania) so if this same greeting is used there, this does not really fit my picture.

But men towards men, nowadays? I doubt that. However, in old movies you may hear a (male) peasant say that 'kezét csókolom' to the lord of the land, if I recall correctly. Pretty feudal, of course.

fireroller wrote:

.... However, in old movies you may hear a peasant say that 'kezét csókolom' to the lord of the land, I think. Pretty feudal, of course.

You also see men kissing the hands of women in movies depicting days long gone by. They don't shake hands as they do now. It's not a regional thing. They did it all over Europe.

The only time I've seem the "hand kissing" between men (in movies) is kissing the ring of the pope or the local Lord.

I think the use of the phrase is probably just a set of words to go with the greeting, perhaps in situations where you cannot physically or by social niceties kiss the woman's hand because one was say, on a horse or dressed in armour or just indisposed.

Eventually, it must have just become a greeting from men to women without the actual action.

Read all about it here: Hand Kissing