# pourboire - what are its origins?



## Aishana

Does anyone know the origins of the expression "pourboire"?  I know that it means "tip," but why does it refer specifically to drinks and when did it expand to mean "extra money for many things/efforts".  Someone told me that the American word "tip" stands for "To Insure Promptness".  Any thoughts on the accuracy of that explanation?

Merci comme d'habitude!
Aishana


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## SwissPete

My understanding of _pourboire _is that it means _pour boire_, i.e. some money the server can use to buy a drink.

It won't be long before somebody comes along and debunks that theory...


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## sdgraham

Aishana said:


> Someone told me that the American word "tip" stands for "To Insure Promptness".  Any thoughts on the accuracy of that explanation?


Another one of those absurdities that people repeat without any supporting evidence.

See the myth busters at: http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp


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## berndf

Moderator note: Thread moved To EHL forum.


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## berndf

SwissPete said:


> My understanding of _pourboire _is that it means _pour boire_, i.e. some money the server can use to buy a drink.


This is almost certainly so. There is the equivalent term _Trinkgeld/drinkgeld_ ("drinking money") in German/Dutch. One is probably a loan translation of the other but in which way it went I don't know. The German/Dutch term actually also exists as a loan word (not a loan translation) in some French (Belgium and Northern France): _dringuelle_.


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## merquiades

Your assumptions seem correct. The CNRTL give a good account of the origins of pourboire.  It's an old term going all the way back to Molière, attested in 1662 (École des femmes):  Voilà pour boire.


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## Kevin Beach

In BrE there's a phrase "Have a drink on me", sometimes used when giving a tip. There's also a (mainly Cockney London, I think) slang synonym "drink" for "tip". It's also used to mean a not very large informal payment for services rendered: "There'll be a drink in it for you if you can fix this for me".

Given that beer used to be the staple drink instead of polluted water, it would seem natural to give somebody something extra to buy a beer with at the local tavern.


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## francisgranada

berndf said:


> ... The German/Dutch term actually also exists as a loan word (not a loan translation) in some French (Belgium and Northern France): _dringuelle_.


For curiosity, also in Slovak slang/dialects as _tringel_. 

In Hungarian this word is _borravaló, _where _bor _is "wine" and _való _means approximately "being for".


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## vianie

francisgranada said:


> For curiosity, also in Slovak slang/dialects as _tringel._



Is it tringelt.


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## francisgranada

vianie said:


> Is it tringelt.


Even better .  In the East of Slovakia it's really_ tringel (_but it's not important from the point of view of the original question).


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## ce que est est

Just speculating, but I wouldn't be surprised if tip was connected to tippling (to sell liquor), ultimately to what survives today in the word tipsy.


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## Lugubert

berndf said:


> This is almost certainly so. There is the equivalent term _Trinkgeld/drinkgeld_ ("drinking money") in German/Dutch. One is probably a loan translation of the other but in which way it went I don't know. The German/Dutch term actually also exists as a loan word (not a loan translation) in some French (Belgium and Northern France): _dringuelle_.


One more: Swedish _drickspengar_ is drink - (connecting 's') - money.


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## rusita preciosa

Russian: 
The process is *дать **на чай */dat' na tchay/- give for tea
The money is *чаевые* /tchayevye/ - lit. "tea [money]"

So, the idea is similar to pourboire


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## merquiades

rusita preciosa said:


> Russian:
> The process is *дать **на чай */dat' na tchay/- give for tea
> The money is *чаевые* /tchayevye/ - lit. "tea [money]"
> 
> So, the idea is similar to pourboire



Priviet Rusita.  Thanks for the info. Just a quick question.  Which syllable is that stressed on "tcháyevye, tchayévye, tchayevýe"?  Spasiba.


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## rusita preciosa

The stress is on ы, tchayevýe


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## berndf

merquiades said:


> Your assumptions seem correct. The CNRTL give a good account of the origins of pourboire.  It's an old term going all the way back to Molière, attested in 1662 (École des femmes):  Voilà pour boire.


Grimm has attestations of the German equivalent in this meaning as of the 14 century, i.e. 300 years earlier. So, the French term could be a loan translation from German or Dutch.


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## Sepia

Lugubert said:


> One more: Swedish _drickspengar_ is drink - (connecting 's') - money.



The same in Danish: Drikkepenge


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