Message 28317 of 39188 in General Discussion

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Nice facts to follow up. :)

> > 10. What does the word for tip in many languages mean when translated 
> > 
> > directly into English?
> > (a) bribe
> > (b) gift
> > (c) reward
> > (d) drink money
> 
> Reward

Totally vague question there, I'd say, but it was the only one I thought I 
could answer without thinking too hard. (After the late date of inception in 
the US)

The most common non-English term I've seen is variations of "Baksheesh" - 
recognisible in dozens of countries, and when said "bakhshish", "Baaksh" or 
"Baksha", it's a LOT more widespread than the English 'tip', even among 
moderate (second) English speakers.


So I'd claim that that's the "word for tip in many languages".
The Broken English "Bo-nus" would come second, depending on the continent.

Now, the nice news is that the etymological dictionaries all agree it's from 
the Persian for "gift".
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=baksheesh

Whereas in some definitions, the Anglicised use of the term translates back 
pretty directly to "tip" 
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/baksheesh

But in practice, it's most often used to literally mean "bribe"
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:fg4zw4xFxncJ:mondediplo.com/2000/11/11corruption
(Google cache to avoid registration)

So there's the difference between the original meaning, the *definition*, 
and the use of the word ;)

.dan.