Monday, March 30, 2009

What's in a name ?

Accra can perhaps best defined as four-wheel country (city). Four wheel drives of every make and type from Chinese to Indian to Japanese and everything in between are popular. However there is one four wheel drive I will certainly look at in a different light after yesterday. That's the Mitsubishi Pajero.

A colleague of mine from Argentina came in and I went to pick her up at the hotel. Walking through the parking lot she started giggling when she saw a Pajero. Of course I didn't understand what was so funny. Apparently in Spanish the word 'pajero' is slang for 'wanker', in other words a man who excessively masturbates!

Mitsubishi had initially named the vehicle after the Leopardus pajeros, a pampas cat from southern Argentina. Weren't they surprised when sales didn't pick up in some markets - including Latin America! Hence there was a name change to Montero and Shogun in some countries.

So the next time I am stuck in traffic and see a well dressed man, looking all cool and hip, driving a Pajero I will sure to smile and wonder - pa
jero by name (vehicle) or by nature? And just in case you are wondering, no there isn't the female equivalent of the term in Spanish.
pictures and more on the Pajero from : Wikipedia

8 comments:

The Author said...

Interesting. I know a couple of peeps who drive the Pajero. I will be sure to tell them of this discovery and feel their ego fall below the tyres.

posekyere said...

The way I see it all the owners of these huge 4x4s are all wankers, considering the excessive amounts of pollution they release into the environment.
But hey, a pajero is by all account a super ride, wanker or not!

Denise said...

I am sure it will make for interesting conversation Nana Yaw - I too have a couple of friends that drive a Pajero. Curious to know what the responses from them will be like.

Denise said...

Given your widened definition of 'wanker' Posekyere then must confess to being one myself ;-)

Roc said...

Pajero = Wanker???!!

Like for real??

lol.. great stuff.. New word to use on me boss then..

Denise said...

RocNaija - for real, check the link on wikipedia if you don't belive me! Interestingly in Jamaica at one time that was the preferred choice of vehicles for politicians - we even used to call them 'P.J. roes' which was a spoof on the then Prime Minister's name (P.J. Patterson). Hmmm, the linkages and the implications of that could be another post in itself.

Melville Mcintosh said...

Hmmmm i wonder ...... and then again the "lack" of any corresponding feminine term begs to ask??? is it that it is normal for south american women???? or are they not in the least bit adventurous????...

Denise said...

Okay Melville, time to 'fess up. Do you drive a Pajero?