Hacker News Reader

Comment by Pigalowda | Hacker News Reader

Schwarz is black?

Google says:

From Schwarzenegg +‎ -er, literally “someone from Schwarzenegg”, referring to either of two places in Switzerland and Austria, from schwarz (“black”) +‎ Egg (“ridge”), cognate with Ecke.

View on HN

While true, it’s also true that “neger” is the German word for “negro” and the last time I was in Bavaria also a certain type of dark chocolate covered donut. I’m not sure if the word is considered outmoded or politically incorrect as it is in English.

I can assure you that it is the German equivalent of the N-word in most ways, using it is frowned upon and perceived as a racial slur (although this hasn't been the case few decades below still). But people who use it nowadays are either very old or racists.

The egg in Arnolds name is probably a Styrian-Austrian dialect variation of "Eck" which translates to "corner". In Austria there are many places ending in this egg (sometimes also only with a single "g").

So his literal name might describe somebody coming from a place called "Schwarzenegg". And Schwarzenegg would be literally "Black-Corner".

I thought it was a somewhat common name for a Coke/beer mix. Is that a regional thing? Or maybe I just accidentally hung out with lots of old and/or racist Germans

Definitely somewhat racist.

>I’m not sure if the word is considered outmoded or politically incorrect as it is in English.

It is. Very much so. It's the equivalent to the US "n-word".

He was on Letterman in the 1980s and said his name means “black plowman”.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com