# couch potato



## ThomasK

I love this kind of metaphors, and I did not have a clue that we had a very specific Dutch equivalent. How about you in your language ? 


Dutch: *zetelzwam *(armchair fungus), though I have been considering launching words such as* 'bankaardappel' *for the Dutch and *'sofapatat*' for the Flemish, both fairly literal translations but using variants that are more familiar in either of the regions)


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## arielipi

hebrew
בטטה טלוויזיה
batata televizya
batata is a sweet potato


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## apmoy70

Hi TK (and happy new year)

In Greek:

1/ *«Καναπεδάτος»* [kanape'ðatos] (masc.), *«καναπεδάτη»* [kanape'ðati] (fem.), *«καναπεδάτο»* [kanape'ðato] (neut.) --> _couch-idler, sofa-spud_ < compound; Fr. canapé (a reloan: Hellenistic Gr. *«κωνώπιον» kōnṓpiŏn* (neut.) --> _couch with mosquito-curtains_ > Lat. cōnōpēum > Old Fr. conopé > Fr. canapé > Gr. καναπές) + productive suffix for adj. in Byzantine and Modern Gr. *«-ατος, -ατη, -ατο(ν)»* [-atos] (masc.), [-ati] (fem.), [-ato(n)] (neut.) denoting attribute or quality. E.g. _coq au vin_ = *«κόκκορας* κρασάτος*»* ['kokoras kra'satos] (both masc.) : lit. _rooster winey_.

2/ *«Μούχλας»* ['muxlas] (masc. & fem.) --> _mouldy_ < Mod. Gr. fem. noun *«μούχλα»* ['muxla] --> _mould_ < Βyz. Gr. fem. noun *«ἀμούχλα» amoúxla* < Classical fem. noun *«ὀμίχλᾱ» ŏmíkʰlā* & *«ὀμίχλη» ŏmíkʰlē*, Attic *«ὁμίχλη» hŏmíkʰlē* --> _fog_ metaph. _mould_ (PIE *h₃migʰ-lh₂-, _fog_ cf Skt. मेघ (megha), _cloud_; Lith./Ltv. migla, _mist, fog, haze_; OCS мъгла > BCS магла/magla, Bul. мъгла, Rus./Ukr. мгла).

With potato we describe something totally different:

A/ *«Πετάω πατάτες»* [pe'ta.o pa'tates] --> _to cast potatoes_ : to talk nonsensically, foolishly.
B/ *«Κλάνω πατάτες»* ['klano patates] --> _to fart potatoes_ (slang) : to become extremely frightened.


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*: _sohvaperuna_, literal translation for 'couch potato'.


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## Encolpius

There is no Hungarian equivalent either.


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## ThomasK

Thanks, both of you.

 In the meantime i have read Apmoy's answer again, and I am not sure anymore whether 1 and 2 are (kind of) equivalents of the couchpotato. I suppose you mean, Apmoy, that those people are called couchy and mouldy, without "being potatoes" at the same time... ;-)


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, both of you.
> 
> In the meantime i have read Apmoy's answer again, and I am not sure anymore whether 1 and 2 are (kind of) equivalents of the couchpotato. I suppose you mean, Apmoy, that those people are called couchy and mouldy, without "being potatoes" at the same time... ;-)


Yes, that is correct 
 Both are equivalents of couchpotato.


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## DreamerX

It’s interesting that the expression “couch potato” is spelled as one word in this thread. Is that British/Australian/New Zealand usage (assuming this expression is even used)? I don’t recall ever seeing it as a compound word in North America, either in the US or in Canada.


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## ThomasK

It is Belgian-Dutch usage, I am afraid: we spell all compounds as one word, and so I applied that principle to English here. We can ask the moderator to correct it, if you think it better !


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## Grefsen

Interestingly enough the Norwegian equivalent of "couch potato" is *sofagris* (couch pig).


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## ThomasK

A great one from Australia:* a lounge lizard *! I love that one!


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## djmc

I always thought that a lounge lizard was someone who rather than doing real work spent his time inside playing snooker or cards, dancing or otherwise living a dissipated life. A couch potato on the other hand is someone who rather than engaging in active sports, spends his time watching then on the television while drinking beer and eating junk food which would make him fat and thus more potato like.


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## Myridon

The lounge in the American phrase "lounge lizard" refers to the bar of a hotel or a nightclub.  It's not the British English "lounge" - a living room in a person's house.
A lounge lizard is a sleazy person who hangs out in a night club, not a couch potato at all.


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## ThomasK

Good Lord, I had believed a friend of mine who told me about it, but I'll tell him it is not quite the same... Too bad of course...


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## amikama

arielipi said:


> hebrew
> בטטה טלוויזיה
> batata televizya
> batata is a sweet potato


It's בטט*ת* טלוויזיה (batata*t* televizya), and I think בטטת כורסה ("armchair potato") is more common.


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## ilocas2

In Czech there is word *gaučing/gaučink*, from *gauč* (couch) + English suffix *-ing* as a parodic word to sports like jogging, surfing etc.

The meaning of *gaučing/gaučink* is obvious.


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## Dymn

ilocas2 said:


> In Czech there is word *gaučing/gaučink*, from *gauč* (couch) + English suffix *-ing* as a parodic word to sports like jogging, surfing etc.


You've made me remember of *Catalan *_pànxing _which means the same, even if derived from _panxa_, the word for "belly".


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## ThomasK

I happened to come across _*larva*_ in Spanish, which might mean coach potato as well.  I could imagine it does, but after the lounge lizard story I hesitate (see #12-13)...


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## Welsh_Sion

Welsh: *taten *(n.f.)* soffa* (< sofa potato) or* sach* (n.f.m) *soffa* 'sofa sack'


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## ThomasK

;-) Bags have never had a good reputation. We use the same word in Dutch compounds when referring to people without willpower or something the like (Lamme Goedzak)...


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## dollyayesha

Sofa spud- English, country origin unknown

जिंदा लाश (Zinda laash)- Hindi-India, which means someone who is alive but behaves lifeless.


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## ThomasK

A living dead or un cadavere morto in Italian…  

The _spud _is some kind of potato, I gather. Correct?


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## Welsh_Sion

'Spud' is a regular informal/colloquial expression for a potato in English. A lot of people with the surname 'Murphy' tend to attract the nickname of 'Spud' for their first name,  on the assumption that they are Irish (Murphy is a common Anglo-Irish surname) and the main food of the traditional poor Irish was the potato. Again, 'potato eater' is an offensive way of referring to an Irishperson. (Similarly, 'Nobby' Clarke and 'Dusty' Rhodes and so on.) You can then appreciate how offensive this later became when it was associated with the Great Hunger/Great (Potato) Famine of 1848 in that country.

'Murphies' is still used though probably dated as being a slang term for potatoes in English.


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## ThomasK

Great background information! Thanks!


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## dollyayesha

ThomasK said:


> A living dead or un cadavere morto in Italian…
> 
> The _spud _is some kind of potato, I gather. Correct?



Living dead is apt for the Hindi words I wrote. no clue about the Italian thing at all.


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## ThomasK

Italian: a dead body, a dead corpse, I suppose…


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## Welsh_Sion

"a dead corpse"

Tautology, no? <grin>


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## ThomasK

I had been wondering about the corpse, and now I see why I was wondering... Thanks! But pleonasm, I think...


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## dollyayesha

ThomasK said:


> I had been wondering about the corpse, and now I see why I was wondering... Thanks! But pleonasm, I think...


Agreed, my bad. 'dead alive' didn't strike me back then hence I ended up writing such a long definition.


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## ThomasK

Don't worry, I do not blame you. I like the oxymoron and went on...  --- Welcome at other threads around here. Looking forward!


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## dollyayesha

Just getting started..


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## ThomasK

Take your time!


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