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This is some interesting etymology. サック is actually “sack” in this case, which is what finger cots are called in Japanese.
メリケン can mean both “American” and “punch the shit outta someone” (‘cause that’s what Americans do, of course). #AmTranslatinghttps://twitter.com/alyssas0712/status/1216247283517313024…
In other words, “brass knuckles” in Japanese are literally “American(/punching fist) finger cots.”
I wonder if it says anything about our respective cultures that a Japanese dude saw brass knuckles and decided they were basically the American equivalent of this. ![😂](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="72" height="72"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg> "Face with tears of joy")
pic.twitter.com/8gp4jjaUTT
I have never ever heard these called “finger cots” before! I’ve only known them as brass knuckles.pic.twitter.com/eOQdjFArJM
Finger cot only makes up half the Japanese term for brass knuckles. They are slide over a single finger and are also called “finger stalls” or “finger condoms,” if you will.
The eternal danger of knowing just enough Japanese to be wrong.
It wasn’t meant as a call-out post. I just found the actual etymology interesting. Alyssa is a pro interpreter, and AFAIK she’s bilingual and way better at Japanese than me. 和製英語 can get the best of us.
Huh. You learn something new every day. I hope I have a chance to use this word in conversation someday
They’re also called “American fists” in French.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="73" height="73"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
