What does it mean to be called a Cretan?

What does it mean to be called a Cretan?

: a stupid or annoying person. See the full definition for cretin in the English Language Learners Dictionary. cretin. noun.

How did Cretan become an insult?

Cretin, like spaz, is an insult that evolved from a very real and very dreadful medical condition. It comes from a word used in an 18th century Alpine dialect. The word was crestin, used to describe “a dwarfed and deformed idiot.” Cretinism was caused by lack of iodine resulting in congenital hypothyroidism.

What is a creton?

/ (krɛtɑ̃) / pl n. Canadian a spread of shredded pork cooked with onions in pork fat.

What do you call people of Crete?

[The subject of cretin (fool/idiot/jerk) versus Cretan (person from Crete) is one which many folks including myself have gotten tripped on.

Where does the term Cretan come from?

“Cretin” is normally thought to come from the Swiss French dialectical term crestin, usually thought to be the local word for Christian. In standard French, the words are very close: cretin for “cretin,” and chretien for “Christian.” The derivation from “Christian” is not universally accepted.

Where did the insult jerk come from?

jerk (n.) 1935, “tedious and ineffectual person,” Amer. Eng. carnival slang, perhaps from jerkwater town (1878), where a steam locomotive crew had to take on boiler water from a trough or a creek because there was no water tank.

Is Dipwad a bad word?

Dipwad meaning (slang, derogatory) An obnoxious fool; a jerk.

What does creton taste like?

In Quebec cuisine, cretons (sometimes gorton or corton, especially among New Englanders of French-Canadian origin) is a forcemeat-style pork spread containing onions and spices. Due to its fatty texture and taste, it resembles French rillettes.

Who invented cretons?

This original creton, made from leaf fat, is very rare today. In 1940, Marius Barbeau, who was a famous Canadian ethnographer and folklorist, described how the recipe had its origins in the monasteries of the lower St.

What is the origin of the word Cretan?

Why is jerk a bad word?

A jerk is a sharp, sudden movement. When you’re learning to drive a stick shift, it’s hard to avoid the jerk and lurch when you try to change gears. Jerk is also a very unflattering term for an obnoxious person.

What are the people of Crete called?

In the Odyssey, Homer calls the natives of Crete, Eteocretans (true Cretans), and the Cretans were also called the Pelasgi (Pelasgians or Pelasgoi).

Is Crete a civilization?

Crete became the foremost site of Bronze Age culture in the Aegean Sea, and in fact it was the first centre of high civilization in that area, beginning at the end of the 3rd millennium bc. Reaching its peak about 1600 bc and the later 15th century, Minoan civilization was remarkable for its great cities and palaces,…

What does Cretans mean?

Cretan – a native or inhabitant of Crete Crete, Kriti – the largest Greek island in the Mediterranean; site of the Minoan civilization that reached its peak in 1600 BC European – a native or inhabitant of Europe Minoan – a Cretan who lived in the bronze-age culture of Crete about 3000-1100 BC

What is the culture of Crete?

Cretan Culture. Cretan culture is the soul of Crete, which is revealed to you through several cultural events, taking place all over the island, especially during the summer. Cretans’ spirit is proud and rebellious and they preserve their numerous traditions until today: the Cretan wedding and baptism may last days of entertainment,…