338591 Tue Oct 31 01:59:12 -0800 2006 124 29 Not About Food 0 1984644 Having worked as a bartender and being a beer lover in general I tried to learn how to say Cheers! in every language I came across. Here's my progress so far. If you have one to add please post! Cheers! Chinese - Gan Bei Japanese - Kanpai Thai - Che Loong Armenian - Ge Natz Serbian - Ji Ve Li Spanish - Salud German - Prost Tue Oct 31 01:59:12 -0800 2006 22401 wanderlustre 1 1984650 Italian - Salute! Tue Oct 31 02:01:28 -0800 2006 1984644 14610 bropaul 2 3190309 Also: cin, cin! Sat Dec 08 07:59:20 -0800 2007 1984650 75332 Gio 1 1984652 Hebrew - L'Chaim ("to life") Tue Oct 31 02:01:47 -0800 2006 1984644 48352 FlavoursGal 2 1984681 Gah, I knew that one! Had to practice a little to get it nice and throathy. Tue Oct 31 02:10:51 -0800 2006 1984652 22401 wanderlustre 1 1984667 My uncle from France used to wish me, " A tes amours"- to your loves! Tue Oct 31 02:06:06 -0800 2006 1984644 24576 MRS 2 1985244 usually used when one sneezes but I guess that would work, then you say "que les tiennes durent toujours" -may yours last always.. cheers is usually 'tchin-tchin' which is like the sound of glasses 'clinking' together. Tue Oct 31 12:31:04 -0800 2006 1984667 39351 laur76 1 1984679 My wife likes the English "Chin chin", of whose origins we know nothing at all...but one evening we were dining out with some friends, an artist originally from Alabama and his Japanese wife, and my wife raised her sake cup and said, "Chin chin!" whereupon Rie dissolved in helpless laughter. Turns out it's Japanese slang for human genitalia. So I decided at that point that one could assume that ANY word means something naughty in some language somewhere... Tue Oct 31 02:10:37 -0800 2006 1984644 11478 Will Owen 2 1984931 In Italian, "Cin Cin" (pronounced "chin chin") is an informal/familiar toast. Tue Oct 31 03:56:30 -0800 2006 1984679 16301 Non Cognomina 2 1984950 ouch..just used "cin cin" with a japanese friend, b/c as non cogn. says it is an informal italian toast. don't want him to get the wrong idea though. he did not laugh, but did not repeat the toast either. Tue Oct 31 04:01:22 -0800 2006 1984679 11190 fara 2 1985297 I don't use chin chin any more, wither. I was hosting a dinner for International clients years ago. My boss took the European table, and I was hosting the Japanese table. After dinner, it was usual for the host to give a toast. I stood up, and welcomed them all to the US ( we were at Camelback Inn in Scottsdale) I finished my toast with "chin chin". They all dissolved in laughter, and later told my boss ( who was Greek) what it meant. I was embarrassed- as I was the only female at the table. I still laugh when I think of it. Tue Oct 31 13:16:17 -0800 2006 1984679 11057 macca 3 3838578 Hollering out those words to a bunch of Japanese business guys must have made you the focus of desire - I can see them now following you around like puppy dogs... :) Fri Jul 04 06:25:22 -0700 2008 1985297 64003 bulavinaka 2 1986212 I know Chin Chin as Italian. The story I heard was that it came from the Italian peasants in the country. When they drank wine out of wooden cups, they would say chin chin to make the sound of glass wine glasses clinking. I use it all the time...but I guess I will refrain now knowing the double meanings! Tue Oct 31 19:00:25 -0800 2006 1984679 43425 Sebby 3 1987740 Heard that story too, Sebby. Pedantic, maybe, but the correct pronunciation for this toast is "Cheen, cheen" - not chin, chin. Also, an earlier poster mentioned 'Salute'. Its more acceptable to say "To your health" or "To our health" when toasting. Translated, that's "ALLA Salute". And lastly, let's not forget, "Cent'anni" ... pronounced by some as CHENT-OHN. This toast is simply, "to us, living to the ripe old age of 100". Cento = 100, anni = years. The correct pronunciation is chento-on-knee (Cento anni) or the conjugated version is also acceptable, (Cent'anni) chent-on-knee. Grazie tanto. Wed Nov 01 04:29:07 -0800 2006 1986212 10609 Cheese Boy 4 1987780 Yes, technically it's "alla salute" (ah-lah sah-loo-tay), but nobody, NOBODY I've ever met says that... in point of fact most people I know say "sah-LOOT" or "ah sah-LOOT". Wed Nov 01 04:56:08 -0800 2006 1987740 10811 Das Ubergeek 5 1987802 What I' ve stated is correct. Grazie di nuovo, Das. Wed Nov 01 05:09:43 -0800 2006 1987780 10609 Cheese Boy 6 1987811 Sure, and you can sound like someone reading out of an Italian textbook. It's one of the problems with Italian -- there isn't really one single coherent Italian language, so no matter what you learn it gives you away as having learned a particular accent... "a'salut" is Napoletano, "alla salute" sounds vaguely Toscano. Wed Nov 01 05:18:59 -0800 2006 1987802 10811 Das Ubergeek 7 1987965 Das Ubergeek, you are such an expert in every culture, it's amazing. All I ever heard in Italy (and I only spent time with Italians in Tuscany and Naples) was "cin cin." Where did you hear your toasts? Wed Nov 01 09:04:42 -0800 2006 1987811 11190 fara 8 1988076 In Italy as well, though I plead ignorance of having been to Tuscany, since I have been only to Piemonte, Alto-Adige, Salerno and Sicily... perhaps the other toasts came after you'd had several starting with "cin-cin"? Wed Nov 01 13:37:26 -0800 2006 1987965 10811 Das Ubergeek 9 3841909 When it’s done properly, Cin-Cin takes place in circle -- the first person toasts the person next to them, and then that person toasts the person next to them, and and so on until the toast has gone around the entire circle. The other component of Cin-Cin is that you must look into the other person’s eyes when you make your toast. Not just a glance…your eyes must actually register for a moment. Sun Jul 06 02:10:35 -0700 2008 1988076 18222 maria lorraine 10 3843303 That's right- Italians always make eye contact when toasting, and "Cin- Cin" is often used in a familiar group setting. "Cent'anni" on the other hand, is typically used in honor of one person or specific people (birthday, wedding, etc.), as it does connote the idea of longevity. I have never heard it said, "Cento anni", as such numbers are compounded in Italian, as a rule. "Alla salute" is the grammatically correct way to write and say the phrase, "To health", but the toast is almost always condensed to "Salute" or "A'salute". However, if one were to exclaim "alla salute!" or "alla nostra salute" (to our health) among friends in Italy, it would not be considered strange. Sun Jul 06 17:14:43 -0700 2008 3841909 102095 vvvindaloo 8 2029371 Salute is common in Tuscany and Umbria, where I've spent some time. Fri Nov 17 07:50:00 -0800 2006 1987965 17058 Pan 4 3837878 I know this topic is a blast from the past - But - I was looking up how to spell Cent'anni, when I stumbled upon this thread And since my grandmother was from Sciacca Sicily and my dad speaks Sicilian I can say we have raised our glasses and used Cant'anni all the time - I was told it means a 100 years, only thing is I don't think we pronounced the i at the end, So maybe it's a Sicilian thing - since you have spent time there & me being American Sicilian - that's what it could be Thu Jul 03 19:30:19 -0700 2008 1987740 206576 shiney39 5 3843306 Sure, I've heard "Cent'ann", as well. It is a leftover dialect thing, much like "A'saloot". Sun Jul 06 17:16:02 -0700 2008 3837878 102095 vvvindaloo 3 2036923 We say Chin Chin in Brazil (although pronounced Cheen Cheen) Mon Nov 20 21:25:28 -0800 2006 1986212 50693 JoLi 2 3838425 In English it's probably based on the sound of the glasses clinking. Fri Jul 04 03:55:13 -0700 2008 1984679 169792 lgss 1 1984733 ya'sou! (greek) Tue Oct 31 02:28:31 -0800 2006 1984644 16406 ziggylu 2 1984943 What about Opa! Tue Oct 31 03:59:14 -0800 2006 1984733 16301 Non Cognomina 3 1987755 How about the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where they're toasting with glasses filled with ouzo ..... that scene is hilarious. Opa! Wed Nov 01 04:39:03 -0800 2006 1984943 10609 Cheese Boy 3 2929411 Cheen Cheen is Japanese slang for male genitalia... unfortunately 'Opa' is remarkably similar to the word, "Opai" which is for a woman's breasts... It's so hard to speak other languages in Japan, everything I saw gets mistranslated! Mon Sep 10 22:24:49 -0700 2007 1984943 101545 lost squirrel 1 1984844 Most common nowadays in France is "À la tienne" (familiar) or "À la votre!" : to your (health) , the last word (health) being tacitly stated. Tue Oct 31 03:14:23 -0800 2006 1984644 28703 RicRios 2 4076169 Yep, but it is spelled " À la vôtre ! " ("To yours!") and yes, health is almost always implied by the "la", health being feminine - "la santé", but technically it could also mean "joy" (la joie), "success" (la réussite) or "prosperity" (la prosperité) since they are also all feminine. Just a little nuance I thought I'd offer. Thanks RicRios. Thu Oct 02 02:16:45 -0700 2008 1984844 229959 duqc 3 4083162 Posts separated by almost two years. Jeez! This sounds like a talmudic dialogue. (Perhaps I should've waited 'till after 2010 to post this one? ) Sun Oct 05 10:56:16 -0700 2008 4076169 28703 RicRios 1 1984855 Polish- na zdrowie! Tue Oct 31 03:19:02 -0800 2006 1984644 23675 phofiend 2 1985757 Which you also say when someone sneezes. Tue Oct 31 16:56:08 -0800 2006 1984855 17737 Hunicsz 3 1987295 Funny, I was picking up some borscht this weekend at a Ukranian place and that's exactly what the cashier said to me when I sneezed. Being a Polish and Ukranian american we always used this for a toast, but never a sneeze. Wed Nov 01 00:33:26 -0800 2006 1985757 20483 jenniebnyc 4 1991527 In my Polish family, we say it for lots of stuff. Cheers, sneezes, congratulations. . . Thu Nov 02 16:49:38 -0800 2006 1987295 17737 Hunicsz 1 1984942 Danish: Skål! Tue Oct 31 03:58:58 -0800 2006 1984644 16301 Non Cognomina 2 3195795 Same in Swedish, and probably Norvegian, too. Skål! Mon Dec 10 12:43:49 -0800 2007 1984942 73361 FoodWine 3 3838416 Yes, same in Norwegian, but a longer version; Min skal, din skal, alle, vakre kvinner, skal! Me skal, you skal, to all the beautiful women skal! Finnish: Kippis! Russian Na Zdvovia of Za Vasha Zdrovia! German: Proust! Fri Jul 04 03:47:00 -0700 2008 3195795 93538 Passadumkeg 4 3840895 Proust slept in a bedroom lined with cork, but that's about the only way I could connect him to drinking. It's Prost, btw '-D Sat Jul 05 11:55:11 -0700 2008 3838416 116513 linguafood 5 3841392 Danka, I guess I need some froodian therapy! Sat Jul 05 18:33:25 -0700 2008 3840895 93538 Passadumkeg 6 3841941 :-D Sun Jul 06 04:04:32 -0700 2008 3841392 116513 linguafood 5 4079156 Hey, Proust did get drunk sometimes. (At least, his alter ego in Remembrance of Things Past did.) In one episode, he's about 15 and he's riding with is saintly grandma in a train and he insists on downing a bottle of some liqueur. His perceptions changed, he wrote, and became sluggish yet strangely pleasing. He notices his grandma is looking at him strangely. Though he doesn't write this, she's obviously thinking, "That little &*%#, he's DRUNK!!" (The grandmother was upset because her husband was forbidden liquor for health reasons but was often drinking it.) Fri Oct 03 08:07:41 -0700 2008 3840895 11362 Brian S 1 1984974 Korean cheers is very similar to the Chinese and Japanese versions, although I don't know the phonetic spelling I believe it's along the lines of kom bei Tue Oct 31 04:21:50 -0800 2006 1984644 24546 bitsubeats 1 1985238 Scotland - Slainte ("slahnge") Tue Oct 31 12:21:43 -0800 2006 1984644 26699 cackalackie 2 1985481 Same in Irish Gaelic - slainte - but pronounced "slawn-che". It means health. Tue Oct 31 15:15:45 -0800 2006 1985238 10480 Siobhan 3 1988843 I've heard it pronounced both ways in Scotland. Might be a matter of Highland vs Lowland. Even among those prefering the harder pronunciation, it tends to soften with heavy use ;) Wed Nov 01 18:25:06 -0800 2006 1985481 42933 PDXpat 4 2243319 I've heard that the best way to pronounce slainte is to say "It's a lawn chair" very, very fast. ;-) Tue Jan 30 15:56:32 -0800 2007 1988843 70443 kapowie 1 1985357 Here is a list for different countries http://www.awa.dk/glosary/slainte.htm Tue Oct 31 14:17:17 -0800 2006 1984644 11222 Infomaniac 2 1987289 I just love the Internet. <vbg> I think I like Zulu best: Oogy wawa (ooggywawa or oogywawa) Wed Nov 01 00:28:12 -0800 2006 1985357 10532 LindaWhit 1 1985413 In french Québec, we say "Santé!"! Tue Oct 31 14:49:27 -0800 2006 1984644 10894 Frenchie 2 2002825 A combination of Frenchie and RicRios above is what my bilingual Canadian grandmother says... A la votre sante. (sorry no accents) Tue Nov 07 14:18:49 -0800 2006 1985413 19632 The Engineer 3 3195876 I've heard "A votre sante" but not with the "la". Mon Dec 10 13:03:41 -0800 2007 2002825 116638 southernitalian 4 4076171 His grandma or he has mixed 2 sayings: " À la vôtre ! "( "To yours!" (health is implied by "la", health being feminine) and " À votre santé ! " (To your health) which is often simply said as " Santé ! ". Hope this clears any confusion. Thu Oct 02 02:22:48 -0700 2008 3195876 229959 duqc 1 1985419 Portuguese: Saude ("sah-OO-djee") Tue Oct 31 14:51:57 -0800 2006 1984644 22508 Puddle 1 1985508 Na zdorov'ya Ukranian! Tue Oct 31 15:26:38 -0800 2006 1984644 23294 madisoneats 1 1985600 The Brickskeller in DC used to have a long list of these on their beer menu. The one that sticks out for me was to say cheers in Zulu was "Oogy-wa-wa." Tue Oct 31 16:05:34 -0800 2006 1984644 12359 monkeyrotica 1 1986293 In Esperanto: Je via sano! (To your health!) Tue Oct 31 19:27:04 -0800 2006 1984644 10996 JK Grence the Cosmic Jester 1 1986628 You can also say Wiwat (pronounced vivat). Tue Oct 31 20:51:58 -0800 2006 1984644 23675 phofiend 1 1986811 Catalan: Salut! or txin txin! Finnish: Kippis! Basque: Topa! Turkish: Sherefe! Italian: Cent'anni or salute! Schwyzerdüütsh: Prosit! Cantonese: Gom beui! Korean: Kampai! Tagalog: Mabuhay! Russian and Georgian: in formal drinking sessions there may be a tamada, who will make long toasts for you. While technically you can say "za mir" or "na zdorovye" few people actually do so. Tue Oct 31 21:46:11 -0800 2006 1984644 10811 Das Ubergeek 2 1987820 "gunbae" is the standard toast for Koreans, but you also hear some other words such as "weehayuh" which means "for the benefit of"...once in a while you'll hear some crazy folks just say "jookja" which means let's all just die... Wed Nov 01 05:26:52 -0800 2006 1986811 50346 michaelyu 3 1989185 what does "dipshida" mean? my mom ways this is how you say cheers in korean, but I think she just made it up Wed Nov 01 20:02:27 -0800 2006 1987820 24546 bitsubeats 4 1989627 I've heard both in Soeul. Dip Shi Da and Gom Bai. Wed Nov 01 22:10:35 -0800 2006 1989185 11081 GGS 4 1993249 If I am correct, it sounds like "duep-shi-da" which means "let's eat" or "let's drink." Fri Nov 03 01:26:14 -0800 2006 1989185 50346 michaelyu 4 3190265 She didn't make it up. dipshida - let's drink ta dipshida - drink it all Sat Dec 08 07:38:31 -0800 2007 1989185 93805 hannaone 5 4098491 Just got confirmation of this last night at a bar in the Songtan district of P'yongt'aek. I've been in Korea for a month shy of a year and have been using Gom Bai this whole time, but last night one of the Koreans I drink with told me that I shouldn't use Gom Bei because it is a loan word from Japanese and many Koreans and Japanese still hold on to animosities from the old wars and power struggles. He said to use DuepShiDa instead. Unfortunately I wasn't exactly thinking clearly enough to ask the exact meaning... it probably had something to do with how many times we yelled DuepShiDa before the night was over XD. Watch out for Soju! Its a NINJA!!! Sat Oct 11 19:02:22 -0700 2008 3190265 232055 thefirstevil 2 1987892 "Kippis" is wonderful and informal; "Terve" (health) is as well. To be formal, one may say "Terveyhdeksenne" (Oh, please let my spelling be correct!), meaning "to your health." As with the previous post on Polish "cheers" this is also used for sneezes. Many Finns will also say "Skool" with the long "O" sound, as in Swedish. Wed Nov 01 06:42:05 -0800 2006 1986811 49525 cayjohan 3 1988078 Wow, I don't know if I could pronounce "Terveyhdeksenne" -- Finnish is a giant mystery to me. Wed Nov 01 13:38:24 -0800 2006 1987892 10811 Das Ubergeek 3 3195829 Almost, Cay ;-) Just loose the "H". = Terveydeksenne. (which is both the formal and the plural way to say "to your health"). But actually, it is much more common to just say: "terveydeksi" (for health, in general). P.S "terve" means either "hi" or "healthy", not health. Terveys = health. Mon Dec 10 12:51:53 -0800 2007 1987892 73361 FoodWine 2 3195813 Yes, "kippis" is the informal Finnish way to toast and the more formal way to toast is to say: "TERVEYDEKSI" ( to health) or a to say : "SKOOL" ... a borrowed word from Swedish, obviously (spelled "skål" in Swedish). If you really want to get funny in Finnish, you can say: "hölökyn kölökyn". (haha, don't get me started, there are many funny things to say in this context in Finnish). Mon Dec 10 12:48:51 -0800 2007 1986811 73361 FoodWine 3 3195937 Oh, and French= À votre santé Estonian= Terviseks! A link to cheers in different languages: http://www.awa.dk/glosary/slainte.htm Mon Dec 10 13:16:05 -0800 2007 3195813 73361 FoodWine 4 4011990 :-DDD Pirrkola or PERRRKELE! haha! -Sorry Passadumkeg, I'm a little slow. Actually, I have hardly been on chowhound this summer. Seems like I missed a lot of fun puns,etc. I especially enjoyed the Probst v. Proust a a bit earlier. Fri Sep 05 15:38:08 -0700 2008 3838418 73361 FoodWine 4 4009804 Estonian = Tervist! We have been known to toast in other languages. I remember hearing "Skol" and "Prosit" said by my family as well. Both Sweden and Germany once ruled over the country. Thu Sep 04 19:20:40 -0700 2008 3195937 191046 Sparky777 5 4011998 For a Finn, the Estonian word for cheers , "TERVISEKS" sounds hilarious! (In finnish terve is healthy and seksi is, well, sex). Here is how it sounds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1psg0mS9MY&feature=related Fri Sep 05 15:40:53 -0700 2008 4009804 73361 FoodWine 1 1987846 In Slovenian Cheers is Na zdravje Delphine Wed Nov 01 05:45:17 -0800 2006 1984644 25616 Delphine 1 1987914 'Op uw gezondheid' is fine for the Flemish (Dutch speaking) part of Belgium Wed Nov 01 07:06:05 -0800 2006 1984644 50353 lkv7 2 1989696 the more informal Dutch expression is "Proost," with a long "o" sound. Similar to German. Wed Nov 01 22:34:47 -0800 2006 1987914 48872 lkp210 1 1988870 "Banzai" (to life) was used by the uncles, but obviously fell out of favor after WWII (albeit most of the uncles did fight on the US side). "Mabuhay" in Tagalog. Wed Nov 01 18:34:40 -0800 2006 1984644 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 3838597 The generations up through WWII still use this one, right Sam? And I am sure we both still cringe when hearing it in mixed crowds (weddings, B-days, etc) - not PC with so many. I can still recall some guests' faces going blank, like they suddenly realized they mistakenly showed up for a Japanese Imperialist Revival meeting - I'm thinking the KKK scenes from Blazing Saddles or Oh Brother Where Art Thou. But knowing its true roots and how those generations perceive it, I'm okay with it. Fri Jul 04 06:38:39 -0700 2008 1988870 64003 bulavinaka 1 1989008 Yes, Herr Ubergeek, you are correct....a Neapolitan would surely say " a'salut' " and the proper response is usually " cient' anni "..or if you are from the port district, " a'do' va ! "...no one but a true Neapolitan would use that one. Now, here is one for you...what would a Sicilian use ? Can you guess ? :) Wed Nov 01 19:17:20 -0800 2006 1984644 23369 Jimmy 2 1989313 Jimmy, this one is a goodie and hilarious to boot. a do' va ! After a person toasts to good health, the response is sometimes a do' va ! If you un-conjugate this, you get "a dove va" (Translated: "where's it going?"). It's almost as if the person is asking ' where or to whom' is this good health going. I find this bold and pretty funny actually. The people toasting acknowledge the good health is going to themselves, so they say, a do' va ! Wed Nov 01 20:43:22 -0800 2006 1989008 10609 Cheese Boy 1 1989310 In Quichua, spoken in Ecuador (not to be confused with Quechua) you say: upishoun pronounced: oo-pee-joon (j like the 's' in pleasure) Perhaps it's the same or similar in Quechua, but I'm not sure Dave MP Wed Nov 01 20:43:00 -0800 2006 1984644 21930 Dave MP 1 1989337 In Swahili and many related languages: Afya! (Health!) Also used when someone sneezes. Not really used very often, more likely to hear "Cheers" in East Africa. Wed Nov 01 20:51:15 -0800 2006 1984644 27000 Hoosierland 1 1989582 In Polish, as on the Belvedere bottle, it's "na zdrowie," loosely pronounced in 3 syllables as "nah STRO vyuh." In Gaelic, as on the Bennigan's commercial, it's "slainte," which as far as I can tell is said "slahn-cha," but someone else can correct me. Of course, never forget "ein prosit". . . .Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!! (And I thought The Man Show and frat boys made that up. . .) Here's a bunch more: http://www.awa.dk/glosary/slainte.htm Wed Nov 01 21:59:25 -0800 2006 1984644 12858 Covert Ops 1 1989632 Anyone know why so many toasting phrases are also used for sneezes? I know that superstition often held that a bit of the soul might be released upon sneezing, hence the "Bless you" response in many cultures, but why does the toast overlap the ah-choo? I'm curious. Wed Nov 01 22:11:36 -0800 2006 1984644 49525 cayjohan 2 1989679 Both usually mean "to your health". In English, though, we don't say "to your health" unless it's formal, and we say "bless you" when someone sneezes, so the connexion is lost. Wed Nov 01 22:30:05 -0800 2006 1989632 10811 Das Ubergeek 3 3838423 We grew up saying Gesundheit (German) for sneezes, didn't realize other people say "bless you" until HS or so. Now I use Salud (Spanish). My maternal great grandmother came from Germany as a young woman. I lived in Paraguay for a year as an exchange student. My husband and I don't drink alcohol but toast at the beginning of every meal we eat together with juice, smoothies, or whatever we're drinking. For that we use "cheers". Fri Jul 04 03:53:50 -0700 2008 1989679 169792 lgss 2 1991356 Either that, or I've also heard that the devil can sneak INTO you when you sneeze -- hence the blessing. And blessing/wishes for health often sound similar. Thu Nov 02 15:51:41 -0800 2006 1989632 12858 Covert Ops 3 3838430 In some cultures people were afraid that the soul would escape when one sneezed. Fri Jul 04 04:03:26 -0700 2008 1991356 169792 lgss 2 4078173 I remember a story about clinking glasses coming from the idea that the drinks should splash into another's to show trust that the drink wasn't poisoned. With that in mind, maybe the toast was a way to continue the questioning or line of trust. Thu Oct 02 17:36:41 -0700 2008 1989632 152043 TampaAurora 3 4080624 Almost. Back in the days of ancient Greece, poisoning someone was easy with wine. It had sediment already, it was opaque...easy to hide poison. As a host, to reassure your guests that you weren’t poisoning them, you poured wine from a common cask or pitcher into your own glass, drank it before your guests, and when you didn’t fall dead on the spot, you hoisted your glass into the air, and it was that -- the hoisting of the glass -- that was the signal the host was still alive and that your guests could… drink…without…fear. Jumping forward to Medieval times…poisoning in wine was still a problem. But if you were a guest and you trusted that the host wasn't going to poison you, you gave him a signal: you hoisted your glass and clinked your host's glass. The clinking was a sign of trust. But back then, the clink wasn’t really a clink – drinking vessels were rarely made of glass, they were usually made of wood or metal, so the clink was more likely a clunk, or a clank. Fri Oct 03 19:06:16 -0700 2008 4078173 18222 maria lorraine 1 1990539 If the Romanian ex-bf wasn't pulling my leg, they say 'santate'. The British (Geordie) semi-boyfriend says Cheers. Thu Nov 02 03:51:12 -0800 2006 1984644 13445 Louise 2 3190200 We say 'sanatate' which means '(to your) health', but also '(hai) noroc' (good luck). In Romanian, too, these apply to sneezing. Sat Dec 08 07:02:46 -0800 2007 1990539 95793 jeni1002 1 1996281 Here's another toast/ sneez saying: In German "Zum Wohl" (roughly translated into "to your health")is used for toasting as well as when someone sneezed.... Sat Nov 04 03:59:12 -0800 2006 1984644 50971 oli_hk 1 2002843 A question for the German toasters... Is "Zupa" appropriate? I remember a song with the words, "Ein, zwei, Zupa." After singing that, everyone takes a drink. Tue Nov 07 14:27:23 -0800 2006 1984644 19632 The Engineer 2 3193161 It's a drinking song of Bavarian origin (In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus -- "oans, zwoa, g'suffa" ("The royal brewery is in Munich -- one, two, let's drink"). Bavarians have an odd way of pronouncing our numbers, which are, as you noted "eins & zwei". Regional dialect....and g'suffa is really 'gesoffen'. Prost. Sun Dec 09 14:36:01 -0800 2007 2002843 116513 linguafood 1 2003194 Scottish - "here's looking up your kilts!" Tue Nov 07 16:30:38 -0800 2006 1984644 31750 drobbia 2 2044822 As a kilt wearing Scot I have had my fair share of people a) enquiring and b) investigating what is (or isn't) up my kilt. Can't say I've heard this as a toast though! Although the English of PG Wodehouse's era would have said "Bottoms' up" and while I suspect it was a reference to the bottom of the glass, it may well be linked to your suggestion! Fri Nov 24 15:59:11 -0800 2006 2003194 55346 schristie42 1 2003902 In quechua Upyaykurikuy Tue Nov 07 19:52:38 -0800 2006 1984644 27101 bolivianita 2 3838421 Thanks, do you remember in Aymara of Guaranee? Fri Jul 04 03:51:51 -0700 2008 2003902 93538 Passadumkeg 1 2044873 In Lithuanian: "Sveikata" (to your health) Fri Nov 24 16:33:35 -0800 2006 1984644 15201 MalibuAly 1 2044886 Interesting that several of the toasts mentioned above are also the words to describe a sneeze. Funny story about this that was a regular occurance between my Lithuanian mom and Hungarian dad: In Lithuanian: thank you is prounounded "aachoo." In Hungarian a sneeze sound is pronounced "hopsi." In American a sneeze sound is pronounced "aahchoo" Whenever my Hungarian father tried to remember how to say "thank you" to his Lithunaian inlaws, he thought of the "sneeze" sounds, but obviously confused..... Fri Nov 24 16:41:42 -0800 2006 1984644 15201 MalibuAly 2 3838417 They generally mean "good health". Fri Jul 04 03:47:25 -0700 2008 2044886 169792 lgss 1 2130525 This thread was written up as a feature on slashfood.com http://www.slashfood.com/2006/10/31/cheers-around-the-world/ Wed Dec 27 04:03:17 -0800 2006 1984644 11362 Brian S 1 2131251 Russian, like Polish and Ukrainian as a few posters already noted, applies the same phrase to sneezers and toasters alike. Russian- Naszdarovya! - Lea http://canada-eats.com Wed Dec 27 16:46:40 -0800 2006 1984644 60623 Canada Eats 1 2131554 My friends in Guatemala say: Salud y pesetas y el tiempo para gustarlos. Actually, one person will say "Salud y pesetas" and someone else invariably finishes the phrase. Wed Dec 27 18:11:59 -0800 2006 1984644 11407 JoanN 1 2132259 Alas, nobody actually says "na zdarovje" when drinking in Russia. They do say "za zdarovje," however. Actually, "za" plus anything works well. Russians usually do a series of toasts, the first of which is usually in honor of the occasion or a special person. The second might be to friendship ("za druzhbu"), peace ("za mir") or perhaps someone else in the room. But my favorite is the traditional third toast to love ("za l'ubof"), when everyone refrains from clinking glasses and there is a solemn, sentimental silence that only a true, tortured Russian soul can really pull off without giggling. Wed Dec 27 22:01:02 -0800 2006 1984644 44761 lemonfaire 2 3840922 I was about to post the same response, but you've got it covered! "Na zdarovje" is for food only, and it never fails to out foreigners immediately :). "(Za) vashe zdarovje" or "za vas" and the series- friendship, peace, life, love, happiness- you describe is more appropriate for drinking. In 1995, the NYT printed an interesting guide on Russian toasts: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC1439F93BA3575AC0A963958260 In Czech, however, we do say "na zdraví" (for toasts and sneezes). Sat Jul 05 13:09:08 -0700 2008 2132259 183643 sfumato 2 3841403 Pul na pul! Sat Jul 05 18:38:10 -0700 2008 2132259 93538 Passadumkeg 1 2925935 Welsh for 'cheers' sounds like "Yacky dah". I don't know how it is spelled. Has writing reached Wales yet? Mon Sep 10 03:55:47 -0700 2007 1984644 126117 williamfisher 1 3190002 Let me add some information for the Korean toast .. it is in fact 건배(乾杯) geonbae, which is a toast to one's health. In Russian, we said "to your health," Na Zdarovye!" It's interesting to see the similarities in languages. Cheers! Sat Dec 08 01:58:01 -0800 2007 1984644 148606 shaxmatist 2 3191707 In Hungarian - "Bort, buzat, bekesseget, szép asszony feleskget" - (i think I have that right, if not, my apologies). "Wine, wheat, peace and a beautiful woman for a wife". Sat Dec 08 19:40:59 -0800 2007 3190002 54222 ekammin 1 3194651 in thailand they say chok dee which means good luck.. we would always reply "flava flav"... they didnt get it, but we sure amused the hell outta ourselves Mon Dec 10 07:25:24 -0800 2007 1984644 135229 thew 2 3196228 I don't get it.... Mon Dec 10 14:38:23 -0800 2007 3194651 10158 susancinsf 3 3196358 chuck d and flava flav = public enemy Mon Dec 10 15:22:21 -0800 2007 3196228 135229 thew 2 3843419 oh, too funny! Sun Jul 06 18:07:32 -0700 2008 3194651 102095 vvvindaloo 1 3195668 http://www.awa.dk/glosary/slainte.htm Mon Dec 10 12:14:55 -0800 2007 1984644 23132 dbug31 1 3202695 My high-school boyfriend and his buddies you to say: "giddy up, get it in yer", which has stuck with me. And I know I've heard other Aussie's say it too; but it could be a localized colloquial as we're all from the same area and generation. Wed Dec 12 14:04:11 -0800 2007 1984644 83353 aussiewonder 1 3838414 http://home.worldonline.dk/mortenl/cheers.html Fri Jul 04 03:44:39 -0700 2008 1984644 169792 lgss 1 3838531 In Canada there was a push to use "Chimo" a traditional phrase from the one of the Inuit languages of the Arctic native people. Fri Jul 04 05:47:50 -0700 2008 1984644 112335 mexivilla 2 3840889 Pronounced how? Is the ch pronounced as ch in chin or as k and is the i pronounced as long e or as short i? Sat Jul 05 11:49:03 -0700 2008 3838531 169792 lgss 1 3843417 Skål! or, for shots, "Helan gå!" Heja blåvit! (ok, that's just what we Göteborskans say when we cheer on the hockey team- but we're definitely drunk/drinking while singing it). Sun Jul 06 18:05:56 -0700 2008 1984644 102095 vvvindaloo 1 3846136 Mexican - Salud Cabrones! Mon Jul 07 14:02:13 -0700 2008 1984644 42572 Eat_Nopal 1 4080987 Arabic: fee sihtak. Sat Oct 04 04:17:20 -0700 2008 1984644 224081 BamiaWruz