# fly-flap, fly swatter



## ThomasK

Summer is over around here, but in summer fly-flaps or swatters can be useful for those who cannot the flies buzzing, etc. What are your names for that? Alternatives are welcome as long as they refer to flies... ;-) And some comment on the separate words is very welcome. 

We in Dutch use a _vliegenmepper_. _Meppen _refers to beating/ slapping very hard.  We can _doodmeppen _(slap to death) and _doodslaan _(id.)


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## apmoy70

In Greek it's *«μυγοσκοτώστρα»* [mi.ɣo.skɔˈtɔs.tra] (fem.) --> lit. _fly-killer_

-MoGr fem. *«μύγα»* [ˈmi.ɣa] --> _(insect) fly_ < Classical fem. *«μυῖα» muî̯ă* & *«μῦα» mûă* --> _(insect) fly_ (PIE *mus-ih₂- _fly, mosquito_ an old word found in several IE languages: Lat. musca, Proto-Germanic *mują, Lith. musia, Ltv. muša, Proto-Slavic *muxa, Arm. մուն (mun)) + MoGr v. *«σκοτώνω»* [skɔˈtɔ.nɔ] --> _to kill_ < Classical denominative v. *«σκοτόω/σκοτῶ» skŏtóō* (uncontracted)/*skŏtô* (contracted) --> _to darken_; although the verb has changed morphologically and has shifted its meaning, it's interesting to note that _darkness_ in the Homeric epic works is a euphemism of death e.g. «τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψεν» "and darkness enfolded his eyes" (Homer's Iliad Book 4.455-460: "Antilochus was first to slay a warrior of the Trojans in full armour, a goodly man amid the foremost fighters, Echepolus, son of Thalysius. Him was the first to smite upon the horn of his helmet with crest of horse-hair, and into his forehead drave the spear, and the point of bronze passed within the bone; and _darkness_ enfolded his eyes, and he crashed as doth a wall, in the mighty conflict") < Classical neut. *«σκότος» skótŏs*


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## Yendred

In French, the traditional expression is _tapette à mouches_ (literally _fly slapper_), _tapette _coming from the verb _taper _(to slap / to hit).

If the object purpose is not really to swat/kill the fly, but just to take it away, we say _chasse-mouches_ (literally _fly chase away_).


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## bibax

Czech:

*plácačka na mouchy* ['plaːt͡sat͡ʃka] =  fly-flap, fly swatter;

derived from the verb _*plácati*_ (impf.), _*plácnouti*_ (perf.) = to slap, to swat;
moucha (plur. mouchy) ['mou̯xa] = fly;


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## ThomasK

Just one question, Yendred: is taper somehow harder than other verbs? It ends in a plosive like our meppen, and that might signal that is harder than others...

Thanks for the "pacifist" alternative!


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## Yendred

ThomasK said:


> is taper somehow harder than other verbs?



On the contrary, *taper *is somewhat lighter than other verbs like _battre _or _frapper_ (all contain plosives though).

Derivatives of _taper _can even be sweet/gentle:
We have the expression _mettre une petite *tape *(dans le dos / sur la joue) = to give a light slap (on the back / on the cheek)_
And as a translation for the English verb _to tap _(= to touch the screen of a mobile device), we use the verb *tapoter*, which is a diminutive of _taper_.

_taper _is also used to refer to typewriting : _taper au clavier_ (to type on the keyboard), and formerly _taper à la machine_ (to typewrite).
Another anecdotal derivative is _tapuscrit, _a portmanteau word to refer to a typewritten manuscript.

We wouldn't have the idea to use _battre _or _frapper _in these contexts, because they are obviously harder.


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## Circunflejo

In Spanish, it's matamoscas (literally, killflies).


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## Armas

Finnish: *kärpäslätkä* < _kärpänen_ "fly", _lätkä_, word used for various small flat objects / _lätkiä, lätkäistä, lätkäyttää_ "to slap"


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## ThomasK

Yendred said:


> On the contrary, *taper *is somewhat lighter than other verbs like _battre _or _frapper_ (all contain plosives though).


 I am too much of a wishful thinker when proposing a theory!


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## Sardokan1.0

In Italian it's _"schiacciamosche"_ (squash flies)

In Sardinian we usually (at least in this zone) call it _"palitta de sa musca*"_ (small shovel of the flies)

* _musca _is singular, but in phrases like that it's used with a plural meaning


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## ThomasK

_Schiacciare_: _meppen_... Squashing is what we love(d) to do - so that we had "flat flies" in the end...


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## nimak

In *Macedonian* it is called:

*тепалка* (tépalka) ['tɛpaɫka] _n. fem._, or *тепалка за муви* (tépalka za múvi) _lit. "~ for flies"_;

Derived from the verb *тепа* (tépa)_ 3rd p.sg._ = _"beat", "kill", "fight", "defeat"_;

*-лка* (-lka), a suffix that forms nouns denoting objects, generally tools or instruments, from verbs.


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## bibax

Are you sure that the suffix is _-lka_ and not _-ka_ (tepal-ka or more detailed tep-a-l-ka, root _tep-_)?

In Czech we have a verb _tepati_ with a similar meaning (tep-a-ti, root _tep-_, thematic vowel _-a-_, infinitive suffix _-ti_). The past participle (l-participle) is _tepal_ (tep-a-l, masc. sing.).

_tepalka_ (fem.) could be a Czech noun, but for an instrument we should probably prefer a neuter noun _tepátko_ or _tepadlo_;


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## ThomasK

For anyone reading this (again):  is the fly (meant to be) crushed, squashed, etc., or "just" killed?


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## bibax

In our country we do not use (for obvious reasons) the fly-flap in the interior. In the past we used rather the flypaper.


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## Yendred

bibax said:


> In the past we used rather the flypaper



An object that we would call in French _papier tue-mouches _(lit. _flies-killing paper_), to answer to @ThomasK question. Crushed or killed, the idea is just to get rid of them


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## nimak

ThomasK said:


> For anyone reading this (again):  is the fly (meant to be) crushed, squashed, etc., or "just" killed?


In Macedonian: _killed (post #12)_



bibax said:


> Are you sure that the suffix is _-lka_ and not _-ka_ (tepal-ka or more detailed tep-a-l-ka, root _tep-_)?


I was also thinking about that when I wrote the post. The suffixes *-ка, -лка, -алка, -илка* are present in Macedonian, cf. Russian -лка (-lka), and Serbian/Croatian -љка (-ljka), -аљка (-aljka), -иљка (-iljka). Splitting the word _tepalka_ on _verb+suffix_ seemed to me the simpler way to explain how that word is derived and what it means.

You are right, you can analyze it that way too, but I'm not sure it always work. Examples (_I will write in Latin alphabet_):


Spoiler: Examples. Click to see them.



1st p.sg. — 2nd p.sg. — 3rd p.sg. — _Verbal l-form_ — *noun*:
tepam — tepaš — tepa — _tepal _— *tepalka*
begam — begaš — bega - _begal _— *begalka*
gream — greeš — gree — _greel _— *grealka*
seam — seeš — see — _seel _— *sealka*
kosam — kosiš — kosi — _kosel _— *kosilka*
vodam — vodiš — vodi — _vodel _— *vodilka*





bibax said:


> _tepalka_ (fem.) could be a Czech noun, but for an instrument we should probably prefer a neuter noun _tepátko_ or _*tepadlo*_;


We have the suffix *-ло (-lo)*, and a word *тепало (tépalo) *_neut. _which means any object/tool used for beating. Some people say *tepalo *instead *tepalka *when talk about the tool for beating/killing flies.


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## Olaszinhok

Little poor flies, I would never kill them! I just open the window or the door and let them out. As for mosquitoes,  that is another story…They are really annoying.


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## jazyk

Mata-moscas in Portuguese, from matar, to kill + mosca, fly, from Latin musca. 

According to Priberam dictionary, matar comes from "latim vulgar *mattare, do latim macto, -are, honrar os deuses, consagrar, imolar uma vítima, punir, destruir, matar", that is, from vulgar Latin *mattare, from Latin macto, - are, honor the gods, consecrate, immolate a victim, punish, destroy, kill.


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## ThomasK

Crushing again? I have not yet heard of those "obvious reasons" for killing flies inside, but I did try to swallow them using a dustbuster or a "crumble thief"...


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## Circunflejo

ThomasK said:


> is the fly (meant to be) crushed, squashed, etc., or "just" killed?


The later.


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## bibax

The crushed flies on the walls and furniture are disgusting. I do not understand who (and how) uses the fly-flap inside his flat. The flypaper is much better.

_"However, a twisted strip of flypaper hanging from the ceiling is considered by many to be aesthetically less acceptable than some other methods, and so flypaper is not as commonly used as it once was." (__Wikipedia__)_

I personally do nothing against the flies.


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## Sardokan1.0

There are also devices like that below, with batteries inside, you push the button, swing the racket and the fly dies because of electric shock


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## ThomasK

I forgot to mention "vliegenvanger" (fly-catcher) where flies "get glued". I prefer the crumble-thief/ dustbuster trick! After "swallowing" the flies, you can release them...


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## Nizo

Esperanto:

*muŝpelilo* (_muŝo _fly + _peli_ + to drive (away) + _ilo_ tool)


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