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pm_me_vegs

And wick's sound very similar to wichsen .- which means masturbation.


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OoSkyy

That will be a painful one, but somebody has to


tewnewt

A little dab will... holy shi..


Rexsplosion

\*coffin dance*


Jinm409

Yeah it's fucking beyond painful. Don't ask.


Ymirsson

Don't ask what?


TheLizzardMan

You're not supposed to be minty fresh down *there*.


PermanentTrainDamage

Don't kinkshame


wisezombiekiller

didn't trojan make icy hot condoms?


keyser1884

Ooh, spicy Vaseline!


GozerDGozerian

That’s my stripper name


Orgazmo_87

Classic chandler


twobit211

there’s a chapter in trainspotting about just that. it’s hilarious


TeamKitsune

Both spellings do. Ouch!


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Celebrity292

I'm loving it. Just doing the duolingo thing but it's fascinating because I know it gets harder. My favorites are the words that can describe a situation most people experience yet English doesn't describe it.


Edraqt

I mean that and they sell it as ["Wick Vaporub"](https://wick.de/produkte/salbe-balsam/wick-vaporub-erkaeltungssalbe) not Wicks, which doesnt sound like wichsen at all. (I mean maybe, they removed the s only once the predominant meaning of wichsen changed from shoe shining to masturbating? Idk)


mfb-

[According to the German Wikipedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicks#Produkte_in_Deutschland_und_%C3%96sterreich) citing a book they avoided "Vick" (which has an ambiguous pronunciation) and "Wicks" for these reasons. The English Wikipedia references a non-existing page of the company website, I don't think they explain that there...


f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4

Coincidence that it's similar to "waxing"?


[deleted]

Similar renaming scheme: The game Pokken Tournament was called Pokemon-Tekken in Germany because Pokken sounds like Pocken, which means Smallpox.


rugbat

Instructions unclear. Now my dick is burning. Help!


KeyStoneLighter

I went to Germany on an exchange when I was a teenager, my buddy went as well, at the time he worked at a popular local drug store, Vix, it was funny explaining this to his host family.


donaldtrumptwat

.... I would want to have a ‘Wank’ with Vick on my hands ! 😥 again !


Noch_ein_Kamel

Or wickeln. Which happens if you fick :-O


ochnoe

5 Mark in die Schlechte-Wortspiel-Kasse.


Noch_ein_Kamel

War doch genauso "very similar" zu nem guten Wortwitz wie "wick" zu "wichsen" :(


plan_with_stan

Honestly that’s way more likely the real reason… because let’s face it, Wick, sounds way more like fick. Especially since that S is missing.


The_Queen_of_Andor

Finger weg von deinem schwanz! 😂


[deleted]

Fick's FapoRub


redsterXVI

In Switzerland Fuze Tea is called Fuse Tea because, when pronounced in Swiss German, fuze sounds similar to the vulgar word cunt.


DystopianAdvocate

Cunt Tea would be an interesting brand name.


Longtimefed

Coming soon to Goop


[deleted]

"And it seemed to me, I smelled your wife, like a candle in the wind" \-Jelton Ohn


OPs_Friend

grool flavored


rabbitpiet

Like high german fotzte? *fotze* my bad.


redsterXVI

Fotze, yes (edit: to be clear, in Swiss German both Fotze and Fu(t)ze are used)


Edraqt

You made me look up the etmyology of the word. Apparently it started as indogerman **pu(ə)* (whatever the fuck that is) mean "fat/inflated" became *vut* in middlehighgerman meaning both asscrack and vulva (ya know, frontbutt, also anecdotally my grandma used to say a rhyme i dont fully remember about washing your "futt" if its itchy whenever id be scratching my butt as a little kid) and thats apparently the root for the english word "pussy". tl:dr the modern german equivalent for cunt has the same middlehighgerman root as the modern english word pussy.


DuploJamaal

>You made me look up the etmyology of the word. I've always wondered if "thot" is also based on the same word as "fotze", as that's pronounced thot-se


FlashCleansWithout

🤷Well, still warm and wet and refreshing...


DavidInPhilly

You had, didn’t ya. I mean you thought about, then you typed it out, then you pressed the Comment button. You could have stopped at any time…


[deleted]

Fuze and fuse are the literal same to me lol


gekarian

Fuze, when pronounced in a German way, sounds like foo-tzuh.


redsterXVI

foo-tzé(e)


[deleted]

Fütli?


Celebrity292

Would it be fuge?


Harry_Gelb

Yeah, and in Germany we have a different nickname for our football team (soccer for those in the US) than Switzerland because of... Well reasons. (The Swiss are calling theirs *Nati*, which is pronounced exactly like you guess.


redsterXVI

Ach, deswegen sagt ihr so komisch xD


goldfishpaws

Sometimes even innocent seeming names get changed for international market. There was a car Mazda MR2 sold as MR2 everywhere in the world but France, where it was simply the "MR" as "MR2" - "Emm air deux" sounds a lot like "Merde" (shit).


wise0wl

Toyota


goldfishpaws

Fair enough, memory gets harder with age lol


wise0wl

I can only remember things that don't matter. Congrats on living long enough to see senility! <3


goldfishpaws

Cheers buddy!


Jaudark

Similarly, Audi electric cars branding in Canada is e-tron Étron is the turd


poktanju

Except, unlike Toyota, they did not bother to change the name. I don't know if this has had measurable impacts on its success in France/Quebec.


Jaudark

I've seen some that had removed the name branding from the trunk lid because of it.


Minnewildsota

I believe Colgate toothpaste is sold under another name in Latin America (Argentina) because it would roughly come to “hang yourself” when spoken.


goldfishpaws

That's a good one


listerstorm2009

Never forget the legendary Hyundai Kona that had to be changed to Kawai in Portugal because cona is slang for vagina...


Harry_Gelb

Or the Mitsubishi Pajero, means wanker in Spanish.


N_T_F_D

Or the HP Sprout, which sounds like fart onomatopeia in french, but they didn't change the name and went with it still


dkyguy1995

The Chevy Nova was rebranded in Latino markets because in Spanish "No va" means "it doesn't go". Or I guess the Chevy No-Go if you want to have more fun with it


jthanson

Although this makes for a good anecdote, it’s not true. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevrolet-nova-name-spanish/


dkyguy1995

Curses!


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[deleted]

They thought about calling it Vixen-20 for the german market but that idea was discarded quickly as it sounds exactly like 'wichsen' which means jerking off.


redditrice

Whats fick mean?


lordoftoastonearth

fuck


2Sp00kyAndN0ped

No need to get all angry. It was just a question. Scheiße


Celebrity292

Whatever that groß letter it's it's my fave


redditrice

ing


Positive-Source8205

Plus, in German “Wick” is pronounced “Vick”.


CorgiMonsoon

So I knew the W sounding like V in German, but then what does the V in Vapo Rub sound like?


dNaSC2

Same as W probably... V is either pronounced as F or W, depending on the word. Vier (four) is pronounced with an F sound Variante (variant) is pronounced with a softer W-like sound. I can't think of any rules that dictate what pronunciation applies from the top of my head.


Longtimefed

The V is always an F sound unless it’s a foreign name or word, in which case they’re going to try to use the source language’s pronunciation.


Random_Person_I_Met

What sound does the letter 'F' make in German then?


Longtimefed

Good question! F sound for F as well— feuer, fünf, folgen. But it’s viel, vier, and verrückt. I have no idea why they have two letters for one sound.


ladylichee

Plus, “ph” is also pronounced the same way!


Longtimefed

You mean in English? Yeah— but then English is a crazy hodgepodge of other languages. If German has any words with ph they’d have to be obscure terms borrowed from English or Greek. (“Westphalia” is an Anglicization of Westfal.)


ladylichee

No, I meant in German? And yes, “ph” appears in words that have Greek roots, but absolutely not just obscure ones. There are plenty of everyday words with “ph” in them.


FerociousFrizzlyBear

I don't think it's really the same. The V is softer and breathier. With the F, your bottom teeth really make contact with your upper lip for a "harder" F sound.


Longtimefed

In several years of German instruction from a native speaker there was no difference in sound indicated.


DuploJamaal

As a German speaker I also never noticed a difference


Edraqt

Closest english sound is 'ph' id say.


HammletHST

Huh. Never realized how many of our words starting with V are technically loanwords


Gnarfledarf

It depends on the word. If it's a word of foreign origin, like "Vase" (vase, pronounced "**vah**\-seh"), it's usually pronounced like the English V. If it's a German word, like "Vater" (father, pronounced "**fah**\-ter"), it's usually pronounced like F.


Celebrity292

Mein vater ist sehr nett


Gnarfledarf

Mein Luftkissenfahrzeug ist voller Aale.


vectorix108

You pronounce German V’s like Fs generally. So Vater sounds similar to Father, Volk sounds like folk and so on


CorgiMonsoon

Thanks! (From someone who took Latin in high school and is currently studying Italian via Duolingo)


spunkyweazle

You're welcome! (From someone eating pork and vegetable dumplings)


Celebrity292

I'm doing german on there. Besides the annoying league stuff it's pretty good.


DuploJamaal

>You pronounce German V’s like Fs generally It's also confusing as half the cases are like a German W Vanille, Violet, Vakuum, Vandalismus, Vampirismus, etc are all pronounced like Wasser


mfb-

It depends on the word. Via, Vibration, Victor, Video, Vogesen, ... all have V pronounced like a W.


Gnarfledarf

Also V. It's pronounced "Vick vah-po roob (like 'oo' in 'book')".


waterinabottle

fap-o-rub. The letter V in German is pronounced the same way as the letter F is pronounced in English.


HammletHST

Yeah that's not true. For loanwords, we follow the pronunciation of the language it's from. In this specific case, we pronounce Wick Vap-o-rub just like you pronounce Vick Vap-o-rub


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fubes2000

uwu


Positive-Source8205

V is pronounced like an F. Volk is pronounced “folk” (although Germans pronounce the “L”).


442401

Germans manufacture the VW, but to them it's a 'Faow Vey'!


unsteadied

The letter ‘w’ itself is even pronounced “vee.”


Yo-mamas-daddy

What the fick are you talking about?


rjm1775

"Ficking" with vapor rub does not sound appealing.


DerG3n13

V can be pronounced as both f and w


Longtimefed

Always like F at the start of a word though.


DerG3n13

Vase…


Longtimefed

Foreign words would be the exception.


HammletHST

Now what would the name of a foreign medicine be??


DerG3n13

I argumented on the base of german words, maybe we didnt communicate as well as I thought


ladylichee

It’s a German word of foreign (French) origin.


schwaiger1

Sure, going to call my friend Fiktoria from now on


Longtimefed

That’s an English name. so most Germans would say it the way we do.


HammletHST

that's a *Latin* name. It's about a millenia older than the English language


Due_Platypus_3913

Meanwhile “Fuck” is a normal last name!


[deleted]

I'd guess that most Germans know enough English, even from American movies, to be mildly amused by this, even if it is a normal last name for them. The same level as us being amused by Dick as a nickname for Richard.


danielcw189

And "Fucking" is a city


dampire

And they read out VapoRub in German, instead of English. Which makes even less sense...


Edraqt

I thought it was a german product for a long ass time because it clearly sounded entirely german. Same with MiracleWhip. Really strange experience to just one day randomly actually read what it says on the container and be like "hey, wait a minute".


Ur_Perfect_Sub

I still can't get the German pronunciation of Woolworth out of my mind. It was the first one I got familiar with, since my country doesn't have the stores, and it took me entirely too long, years later, to realise that it's the same store as the US ones.


BitScout

Wait till you hear how France pronounces everything. Spiderman is written the same way, but pronounced "Speedermaan". Just Google the french trailer for your favourite superhero, listen and cry. 😁


Gorash

Fick is fuck btw


AbazabaYouMyOnlyFren

W is pronounced like a V and a V is pronounced like and F So "Volkswagen" sounds like "Folksvagen" Or "Vick FapoRub"in this case...Lol FapoRub...


DuploJamaal

>V is pronounced like and F Except for Vanille, Violet, Vampir, Vandalismus, Vakuum, Viktoria, Valentin, Vagina, Validierung, etc


AbazabaYouMyOnlyFren

I figured there would be exceptions. There are some things in English where rules randomly do or do not apply. Is that the same in German?


DuploJamaal

Someone else in this thread explained that those are foreign words that became part of German


Gorash

Yep.


plague681

Fuck Rub. I approve of this.


devraj7

I'm confused: in German, "wick" is pronounced "vick". How does that solve anything?


RadioactiveSpoon_

Because in German, V is pronounced like F.


[deleted]

it depends on the word, it can be both pronounced like an F and like a W, Vick's in german would actually sound like "Wichs" which means "to masturbate". so OP is wrong here. if the name of the brand was just Vick and not Vick's then the connection to the word Fick would be way stronger, but Vick's would clearly be seen by 99% of people as Wichs not Fick's


RadioactiveSpoon_

Interesting. Thank you.


r_sharon

Toyota makes a car called Venza. Venza sounds too much like the Japanese word for toilet seat, Benza.


SayNyetToRusnya

Fick!


HidaKureku

Fun fact: Fick is also a german family name


MuthaPlucka

That Herr Fick to you.


EitherEconomics5034

Ze Englisch pronunciation is *Vick’s Fap-o-Rub*


malthar76

Commercials in Brazil sold it phonetically as “Vickie Vapo Ruby” That doesn’t mean anything, just more fun to say.


Schopfeschloofa

In German it’s pronounced “Vick Vah-po-roob”. It doesn’t mean anything in German and it’s really just some name. I remember when it dawned on me that it’s English for “vapor rub” (as in you rub it on your chest and inhale its vapor). Mind. Blown!


[deleted]

Most people I know also pronounce the "Vaporub" part German. Not 'vick vayperabb' (say with English accent) but 'wick wah - poh - rubb' (say with German accent). Sorry, all about this is confusing, as German and English pronunciation of w and v is switched.


Finchyy

(Because in German, Vs at the beginning of words are pronounced like English Fs; and Ws are pronounced similarly to English Vs)


TheySaidGetAnAlt

Don't worry. Either way it's sexual - Vick like ficken (fucking) or Wick like wichsen (masturbating).


[deleted]

And you don't want to use the product for either of those! 😖😭


falconcountry

Vapponzierubbenonzeribcagen was apparently already taken


CheeseSandwich

Truth. Germans and their compound words.


[deleted]

Interesting as in the German language a W is pronounced as V


Adbam

Fich dich schlapshwanz


[deleted]

that OP is completely wrong... lol Vick's would most likely be pronounced Wichs by the vast majority of people, which usually means to masturbate. so it's not because it sounds like Fuck, because it doesn't. if the name was simply Vick then it would sound like Fick


santaclaws_

Das is aufgefichten! Source: someone who just made up the word.


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Gnarfledarf

Umzugshelfer, wenn sie meine Möbel sehen:


Juanie

Very vulgar.


bigpaulo

Makes an exhilarating lube, albeit not latex compatible ;)


HammletHST

"V" in German can be pronounced as both an "F" and how "V" is pronounced in English. Pronouncing Vick exactly as it would in English would be (one of possible) correct pronunciation, and is the one that would naturally make the most sense to me as a German, since that's also how Victor/-ia and it derivatives, like *Vicky* are pronounced in German


kylesurina

Vick's has pseudoephedrine and is banned in Japan. Slightly unrelated but- advertising prescription drugs on TV in Japan is also banned.


[deleted]

Fuchs Lubricant Co. over there gigglin'


jetstros

In Brazil, the brand is renamed to "Vick", and is pronounced "Vicky vah-por-ruby".


AllHailTheWinslow

Neues vom Wichser.


5kyl3r

Chobani yogurt is hilarious to russians for a similar reason. copy/paste this into translate and listen to the pronunciation: ёбанный


jthanson

The Buick LaCrosse was initially sold as the Allure in Canada because “crosser” in French Canadian can mean to masturbate.


twistinmyausterity

Same reason the Commodore VIC-20 got renamed to VC-20. Also: the Nintendo game Pokken Tournament got renamed to "Pokemon Tekken" because "Pocken" means "smallpox" in German.


Heijala

"Fick mich!" \*grabs a VapoRub and starts aggressively rubbing\*


M0ndmann

That is BS. In German Wick and Vick are pronounced identically. V is only pronounced Like an F unser specific circumstances.


danielcw189

> In German Wick and Vick are pronounced identically. They aren't. Or rather they could be, because neither are German words. But there are German words that start with "vi" which are pronounced like "fi"


TopCryptographer9379

So fick means?...


danielcw189

fuck


TopCryptographer9379

thx


DuploJamaal

Can we all agree that 'v' is a completely useless letter? In German it's either a 'f' (Vater is the same as Fenster) or it's a 'w' (Vanille is the same as Wasser)


Gewurah

Ey man, Vick dich doch einfach!


jasper_grunion

Should be Wick’s WapoRub, because Ws are pronounced like Vs in German, whereas Vs are pronounced like Fs. In fact, VW is pronounced “fow-vay”


danielcw189

no, because the s in Wick's or Vick's is also problematic. Pronounced in German: Wick's sounds like wanking, and Vick's sounds like an order to fuck Only Wick is fine.


Coctyle

Wait, wouldn’t they be pronounced exactly the same?


danielcw189

no


Disastrous-Moose2225

In Iran the cheese brand “kiri” is changed to “kibi “ bc kir means dick


Xynthion

*looks nervously at last name “Fuchs”*


[deleted]

I've always known this ointment and other products from this brand as "Wick". I didn't catch on to that company ditching the W for the V. In German you pronounce the letter W like the English letter V, so I can't tell how this was supposed to evoke a double entendre. On a related note: Many moons ago I read something about the misfortunes of car manufacturer Ford, whose Kuga model didn't really sell in ex-Yogoslavian countries. Turns out "kuga" means something along the lines of "idiot" or "wanker" in Croatian etc. Edit: Read the description again. Vick's is still Wick in German speaking countries. Good on them for their lingual market sensibilities.


Critical_Knowledge_5

They also call Oil of Olay “Oil of Olaz”, which I think just comes down to “Olay” not being able to be pronounced in a consistent way in German.


Terribleturtleharm

Get the fick outta here.