this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
395 points (98.1% liked)

[Dormant] moved to !historymemes@piefed.social

3468 readers
1 users here now

THIS COMM HAS MOVED

!historymemes@piefed.social

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
PugJesus@lemmy.world
PugJesus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
395
A SPY (lemmy.world)
submitted 10 months ago by PugJesus@lemmy.world to c/historymemes@lemmy.world
42 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

The phrase everyone's looking at is "bless you" these days (US accent) ... the Germans are not the badies anymore ... sorry to say, but strangely enough, they are among the good guys now.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I've always preferred "gesundheit" as it's wishing the person good health rather than using religious terminology.

[–] KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The polish version (Na zdrowie!) is basically the same, someone should make a map of what kind of response one gives when someone sneezes (religious, health, etc.)

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

"Bless" is archaic, but I don't think it has to be exclusively religious.

EDIT: I looked for alternate definitions, but I guess it pretty much does always refer to holy/divine approval...

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Bless
verb

to consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy

I think bless is an inherently religious word, although not necessarily of any particular religion

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 1 points 10 months ago

Okay, you've convinced me.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

It has a religious origin, but it can certainly be used secularly, and is more often than not. I just like avoiding it when possible.