language is funny

[marycrawford]

I was having blood drawn today and was asked "Did you eat or drink anything today?" and it occurred to me as it always does that the official word for not having drunk or eaten yet in Dutch, the one they check off on the form, is so incredibly confusing. It's "nuchter" which ALSO means "I am not drunk, I have not consumed alcohol".

So full props to the nurse for asking me that sensible question instead of "Bent u nuchter?" which I've heard before.

But now it occurs to me that I don't know an English translation for 'nuchter' either. 'Sober' yes, but that doesn't cover the have you eaten/drunk part. (or does it? in that case, English is just as confusing...)

Comments

[laireshi]

Polish has a word for not having eaten/drunk (na czczo) and a separate one (or a few) for being drunk, but not one that would mean both, which I guess is helpful in medical settings.

[marycrawford]

Ha, a few words for being drunk - yeah, Dutch does too though the basic one is still clearly the same root as the English, 'dronken'. I love this stuff. And we don't have a word for the opposite condition to 'nuchter' - I have eaten and drunk - either.

[trobadora]

Hee! It's the same in German - "nüchtern" has the same double meaning. Almost a shame English doesn't have it. Languages! :D

[marycrawford]

Ha, for once the "add an umlaut" method actually works to turn Dutch into German :D

[mumblemumble]

I just learned!!!

"Nothing by mouth is an American medical instruction meaning to withhold food and fluids. It is also known as nil per os (npo or NPO), a Latin phrase that translates to English as "nothing through the mouth". Nil by mouth is the term used in the UK (NBM), nihil/non/nulla per os, or complete bowel rest."

"NIL BY MOUTH" OH MY GOD ENGLISH WHAT DRUGS ARE YOU ON

[marycrawford]

Woww, I have learned too! And the weird thing to me is that "os" is bone in Latin as well. I suppose that's not necessarily confusing because who consumes anything through their bones, but still.

Nil by mouth really is not a good accessible phrase, either!

[mumblemumble]

"Nil by mouth" is such a silly, silly phrase, but I guess it beats "complete bowel rest". 😶

[ranalore]

In American English, they usually just ask the question you got asked. If you were supposed to get blood drawn when you hadn't eaten or drunk anything, they'd tell you to fast, "no fluids except water, and no food." If you're getting surgery, however, there's usually a period of anywhere from eight to twelve hours prior that you can have "nothing by mouth," which means you can't drink water, either. I see mumblemumble pulled that up for you, as well as "nil per os," which I'd never looked up. I know NPO, because I've had a few surgeries and that's what appears on the paperwork, but it's explained as "nothing by mouth." Most US paperwork assumes people are barely literate, and it's unfortunately right in that assumption.

[marycrawford]

Nil per os is going to stick in my brain now, thanks for joining me down the rabbithole :D

I do think it's a good approach to keep the bar as low as it can be, for everyone's safety.

[gwyn]

That’s fascinating! I love learning that type of thing, thanks for explaining it!

[marycrawford]

Aw, I'm happy to hear from you and likewise, I love that kind of thing. <3

[tinny]

Ooooh, languages are so fun! I read through all the comments, and learned the nil by mouth thing, which I hadn't known about before. (Never having had surgery in the UK or the US, phew.)

[marycrawford]

I love that we're all just fans of language stuff, it's great. And yes please keep your pristine record :D

[miss_ingno]

Ohhhh! It took me a moment, but that's "nüchtern" in German and it works the same way! :D I hadn't really thought of it as confusing in this context, because I always assume mean "haven't eaten yet" with doctors lol

Hmmm can't think of a good English word for it either tho, not that conveys the same double meaning...

[marycrawford]

I love all us language nerds coming together :D

I don't think English has such a word, and that's a shame! Not that I'll miss it as much as I miss the lack of a verb for being silent, alas.