no can do?

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maliksaim

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What's the story behind the phrase 'no can do'? Like what's the history, where does it come from? It sure sounds stupid :-D Maybe there is some logic that makes it sound less stupid?
 
There probably is- it's likely to be pidgin, where words and grammar from different languages mix when people have a need to communicate. I have head different versions of which languages are involved- Native American, Chinese, etc, but this sort of phrase is common in such situations- it's more practical than stupid and has crossed over into mainstream English, so it's quite a succcessful phrase.
 
It comes from Hong Kong Pidgin (Business) English, as does Ketchup (kei= tomato; dzap= juice/paste).
 
I don't know much about languages at all but I can totally imagine it coming from Chinese or Korean people, those with not very good English skills. Thanks.

I have realized I don't really understand the logic of another phrase as well: to hate someone's guts.

Now in slang or informal language guts means determination or fortitude. In formal language its a biological section of human body. In this phrase, neither of those definitions make sense. Looking up the phrase shows that it just means hating some passionately. :?: How come?
 
It comes from Hong Kong Pidgin (Business) English, as does Ketchup (kei= tomato; dzap= juice/paste).

It's good to know that- I have heard that and US frontier pidgin as the sources of it and Long time, no see.
It's hard to know when you don't speak the languages- ketchup, I have heard, comes to English via Malay- a Chinese loan word being reloaned. :scramble:
 
I don't know much about languages at all but I can totally imagine it coming from Chinese or Korean people, those with not very good English skills. Thanks.

I have realized I don't really understand the logic of another phrase as well: to hate someone's guts.

Now in slang or informal language guts means determination or fortitude. In formal language its a biological section of human body. In this phrase, neither of those definitions make sense. Looking up the phrase shows that it just means hating some passionately. :?: How come?

To me, it's physical and visceral and, therefore,an extreme hatred- the person's guts have done nothing against you, but they have kept the person alive, so hating them at that level is strong.
 
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