The word milostpán may be interpreted as dear man, but they actually mean snob. Today I couldn’t go with a co-worker to lunch, and he called me a milostpán. Another word for this, according to my crack team of linguistics researchers (Ingo Bellmann), is nafoukanec which could also be translated as blow-hard. Either way, I’m not really snobbish at all. I am quite content to occassionally lower myself to the level of the common people and endure the discomfort of their unfortunate lifestyle…
Co je český – to je hezký
I love your postings! They are very entertaining. A „nafoukanec“ is literally an „inflated person,“ i.e. someone who is very conceited, someone with an inflated ego, as we would say. It’s not the same as a snob; a snob is someone who can’t be wasting his valuable time with people he considers inferior. A „nafoukanec,“ on the other hand, is happy to spend time with those he considers inferior to himself, as long as it strokes his ego to do so. A „blowhard“ is very similar, being one who brags a lot. As for „milostpán,“ that used to be a very respectful form of addressing someone who was in a higher social position than the speaker; something akin to the old English „my lord.“ However, used in a sarcastic tone of voice and in the context you describe, it is like saying: „Oh, you’re just too good for us poor schlubs, aren’t you?“
According to scientific research, the key to happiness is not having more money, just more money than your acquiantances. So perhaps the most content people in the world are the „nafoukaneci“ who hang around those they consider inferior all the while spewing untaken advice.
This is my ambition in life too.
😉 Fred
Těm cizojazyčným příspěvkům nerozumím,jsa poleno(nebo jsouc polenem?“Ale ,,milost „,v kralické češtině ,znamená něco jako všeobjímající láska za hrob.Milostpán je tedy milující pán,či vládce.Bylo by to tedy veskrze kladné označení.Milostenka a milostnice,jsou dámy milující na různých úrovních.Dnes se milost uchovala spíš jen jako akt slitování.Škoda.
Jedná se o rozdíly mezi slovem „milostpán“ ve smyslu ironickém a „nafoukanec“. Já píšu, že „milostpán“ je někdo, kdo je příliš vznešený na to, aby chodil mezi obyčejné lidi, zatímco „nafoukanec“ je člověk ješitný, který mezi ně klidně půjde, pokud mu to lichotí. Jaké jsou Vaše poznatky?
Milostpán a milostpaní bylo dřív oslovení, které používalo služebnictvo, když mluvilo se svými pány. Dnes se toto slovo v plném významu (tj. bez ironie) objevuje spíš jen v literatuře, ale ještě za první republiky bylo celkem běžné.
I agree with Lily, the word Milospan was used in Bohemia & Moravia as a sign of respect for the upper classes of society, just like in England one still uses the words „Your Grace“ or „Sir“. It is only natural that after 40 years of Communism, the Czech society lost the „sense“ and the „tradition“ of polite society that should award and respect those who lead wisely and excel on their own merit in public and private life.
Pablo Neruda.
True, but I think that the loss is not permanent. I think that those 40 years of communism stifled the excellence of the Czech people, but freedom, given enough time, will allow it to rise again. Freedom has its unfortunate side effects, but in a free society we can also choose not to participate in them. Just a small example: I choose to call people in this forum „pan“ and „pani“ and address them with the polite forms, and to keep my tone respectful, and the Czech people respond beautifully. I love it! Some forums, especially American ones, are quite disgusting in their tone and language, but this one is far better. Each one of us can choose to leave a good mark or a bad mark on the world.