On a proposed new term for "anti-Semitism," and "It's all Greek/ Hebrew to me"

"I'm not an anti-Semite just because I oppose the hooknosed pimping thieving imperialist rabbi Freemason Zionist pig-monkeys. I'm a Semite myself."

This argument did not turn up in 1965, apparently. Or at least it was anticipated. Israel Zangwill, writing in 1890 as Marshallik, discusses a proposed term for Jew-hatred, "Hebrew-phobia," as opposed to "anti-Semitism."

Interestingly, he notes that while the English say of a language or something they don't understand that "it's Greek to me," the French say "it's Hebrew to me."

Although "it's Greek to me" has its roots in the English language at least as early as Shakespeare, the purportedly French version, was also used in English, well into the 19th century.

In fact, here is a French work from 1728 which explains that the French expression "C'est du bas Breton pour moy" - "It is English to me" - is equivalent to the British expression "That's Hebrew to me."








Next we see an English translation of a French letter sent by the Prussian king - got it? - in 1742. As we can see, he employed the same idiom.

Finally, here is Wikipedia's list of "Greek to me" in various language (link). In Iceland they say it's all Spanish to them. I didn't know that either.