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What's the "Joe Shmoe" of different cultures? Or the "John/Jane Smith"? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

106 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Explanations/etymology also appreciated!

For Joe Shmoe, it means a very average or below average person. It's a derivation of the practice of using "shm-" to dismiss something (eg "Practice shmactice. We're already perfect").

And "John Smith" is meant to be the most average name or person imaginable, so they have the "most common" (citation needed) first and last name as well.

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

In my country (Spanish speaking) we say "Fulano de tal" Fulano is kinda like a template name nobody really is named like that. "De tal" really means something like "from somewhere".

We dont out it on the graves, but we use it as slang for situations where we need to refer to someone generic like "imagine a fulano de tal doing xxxxxxxxxxx".

There are other names like Zutano, Mengano, etc.

Edit: My mom sometimes uses "Miguel Perez". Those 2 are very common first and last names.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

In Brazil (Portuguese speaking) we also use Fulano de tal. I didn't know it was used in other countries!

We also "José Ninguém" and "Maria Ninguém" to mean someone who's a nobody. It literally means Joseph/Mary (very common names in Brazil) Nobody.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

There's also a name that expresses the same feeling of 'Joe Schmoe' in pt-br: 'Zé Roela'

And to expand on Fulano's family, we must not forget Beltrano and Ciclano.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

And "Zé das Couves" (but this one is used more rarely).

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Does this came from arabic influence?

To refer someone without a name or generic name we sometime say Fulan bin Fulan meaning someone the son of someone

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A lot of Spanish words and culture come from Arabic influences, the iberic peninsula was under control of arabs on the VIII century.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Wow! It most certainly came from that!

TIL, thanks! (brazilian here).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Just checked in a Brazilian Portuguese real made from trees dictionary, indeed comes from arabic (indicated by the "ár fulân")

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

There's something similar in Italian, Tal dei Tali. Literally something like that one of those ones