Bottom's up
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85146)
Shingle Springs, California
February 24, 2010 11:19am CST
Today I was checking my work e-mail. We outsourced our IT division last year, so we have a lot of contractors from that company who are from India. Yup, I have become an expert at deciphering the various Indian accents that people have. And I see a lot of names that used to be unfamiliar to me such as Arun and Binu and so on. But today one that I saw on an e-mail struck me funny. Upender... Now doesn't that sound like English? To me it sounds like somebody who who either bends over and sticks his rear end in your face or somebody who is always standing on his head. Did you ever see something in a foreign language that looked like your own language? Anything tickle your funny bone today?
5 people like this
15 responses
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
24 Feb 10
Our neighbours in England had a very old English name - Winterbottom. Being a visualiser, even as a child, I had a vision to suit their name.
Not a name, but a saying: When we had our passage booked to come to Australia, and being accustomed to so many ships being sunk through the war, I said the ship might sink, and was told that only happened "once in a blue moon". I made a point of looking at the moon quite a lot over the next few months!
2 people like this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
Anything involving the bottom must be lots of fun to play with, especially for children!
@samson1967 (7414)
• India
24 Feb 10
Whaw!!! bottoms Up!!! what a sexy word, when the spirit in the glass is really bottoms upped it gives a relief of accomplishing an important entertainment tssk.
2 people like this
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
25 Feb 10
The Norwegian word for carrots - gulrotter (literally golden root) but it sounds like something totally different in English. Rotting seagull maybe?? 
1 person likes this
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
25 Feb 10
There's never a little boy when you need one....
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Feb 10
And then there's Rotterdam. I'm sure the Dutch don't want one of their dam's rotting out on them....
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
25 Feb 10
That's funny.. I have come across funny and weird names for a lot of locals here too. I have come across a name that is referring to the gender of an animal. In Malay, it's called Jantan. Which means male animal.. it's quite common before but not now. So to come across this kind of name in this modern era is quite something.
1 person likes this
@bystander (2292)
• Philippines
24 Feb 10
the way you associated the word upender really ticks my ribs. i almost thought that word can be associated with putting one over the other, even pulling one's leg. but after finishing your topic description, i could only laugh. call that naming peculiarity that goes with differences, culture and country... but, taking that seriously, i mean the more academic reading of the word, would take the fun out of this discussion... maybe, even the pun, even if not intended...
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
I'm sure HE didn't intend the pun, but I did. 
@bystander (2292)
• Philippines
24 Feb 10
got it... but a good discussion followed...
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
24 Feb 10
Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain something for me. I have always believed that the English alphabet could only be used to write the English language. Are there People who speak Indian Languages who write their names using the English Alphabet? We see many postings on myLot by people who are obviously unfamiliar with English, but I was under the impression that these were people who spoke Chinese or related languages.
1 person likes this
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
25 Feb 10
Actually it's not the English alphabet, it's the Latin alphabet and it's been adapted to many, (to many to list here) languages - not just English. In the same way, the Greek alphabet has been adapted to several Slavonic languages, notably Russian and Bulgarian but there are others. Incidentally, the numbers that we use are Arabic in origin. Previously, in Greece and Rome, letters were used to indicate numbers.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
We share our alphabet with a lot of other languages. I'm not sure what alphabet they use in India.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
24 Feb 10
hi dawnald I have seen something in a foreign language today but I was just reminded of this Polish family that kids went to school with me
when I was a little kid. Two of the boys came to see me when I was a young adult wor king in the hospital. Their last name was Lickingteller
and that always brought up odd picture of someone licking something then running to tell her about it, and as i got older it brought up naughtier thoughts. I mean this was really two English words to me.We always did giggle some at their name although they were nice enough youngsters.
about it, and as i got older it brought up naughtier thoughts. I mean this was really two English words to me.We always did giggle some at their name although they were nice enough youngsters.1 person likes this
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
25 Feb 10
i guess we are rich with foreign languages like spanish and american. the philippines had been the target of foreign countries for sometime in the past. remember world wars where spaniards, japanese and the americans tried to get the control of the country? they stayed here for years, that's why the philippines has a lot of foreign words taken from those countries.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Feb 10
Yep, you guys were overrun with foreigners...
@coffeegurl (1467)
• United States
18 Mar 10
Uh, yeah. I spent a few years as a telemarketer during my college days. One day, on the computer screen I got a Vietnamese gentleman by a name of: Phuk Yu! I started laughing so hard that when he answered the phone I clammed up and couldn't stop laughing. My neighbor in the cubicle next to me heard me laughing and leaned over to see the name. He hung up because all I was doing was laughing. Next hour, the number got recycled and my neighbor got the man, I knew because I heard him laugh and say, "Yes, My Yu.."
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Mar 10
I was laughing the second I saw his name too!
@kprofgames (3091)
• United States
24 Feb 10
I know what you mean. There was an professor I had in college that his name was spelled Goemer, but the way he said it reminded us all fo the cartoon character Gomer Pile or was it a comic strip? I think it was a comic strip.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
24 Feb 10
Hello, Dawn. In England, there was a rugby commentator called Eddie Waring - sadly departed now - who used to talk about 'A right up and under,' and that came dancing into my mind when I read your post. Then 'under' got me to thinking about 'guzunder,' which is an Englsh slang expression for a Charlie - which is another English slang expression for a chamber pot. Now look what you've made me do. 
I need vodka - now. Haven't had any for 3 days, as I've not been feeling well. 
I need vodka - now. Haven't had any for 3 days, as I've not been feeling well. 1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
You saw it here first folks, an interesting glance into the inner workings of Sandra's mind.
For heaven's sake, go get yourself some vodka!
For heaven's sake, go get yourself some vodka!
@sunnycool (12714)
• India
24 Feb 10
How dare to make fun of our Indian names 
so you outsource work to India-----thats really great----this one helps us (infact your daughter) to get accustomed to each other 
I do find some weird names like your name but it never tickled my funny bone 
so you outsource work to India-----thats really great----this one helps us (infact your daughter) to get accustomed to each other
I do find some weird names like your name but it never tickled my funny bone @dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
Weird, Dawn? 
Maybe in India!
So what does Upender mean anyway?
Maybe in India!
So what does Upender mean anyway?@sunnycool (12714)
• India
25 Feb 10
I was just kidding though----but Dawn is weird for all those people who still speak ancient language called Sanskrit in some places in India.
Upender---is just like any other indian name---it is actually derived from one of our God's name(Upendra)
I find the chinese,japanese names weird---most of their names end with lee,ing,hayabusa and many---they're quiet funny when we try to pronounce them
@tutul0045 (2630)
• India
24 Feb 10
Hey,
You found Upender funny, lol. Then u r yet to explore Indian names really. Iam sure as u go into more details u will encounter some very difficult as well as funny names in India.
Like u said we in India deal with lots of Americans and westerners as well and we are often amused by their names too. For example we had a guest from the Arab recently and his name was Muqadir butt 
. We had a visitor from America an middle aged lady and her name is Rosey Young. Tell u what she was neither rosy nor YOUNG from any angle
Cheers,
Tutul
. We had a visitor from America an middle aged lady and her name is Rosey Young. Tell u what she was neither rosy nor YOUNG from any angle
Cheers,
Tutul1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Feb 10
And then there are Chinese names such as wang, which has rather an unsavory connotation in Engish!
