Circumcision

OK, so here's a random topic.  Circumcision.  I'm not going to get in to the whole cut vs. uncut debate.  There are pros and cons to both.

What I will say is that male circumcision is way more common in the USA than it is here in Czechland.

©Wikipedia

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), circumcision in the U.S., is between 20-80%.  It does vary by geographic region, religion and ethnicity.  If someone asked me I would say that at least +70% of guys in the USA are cut.  In Europe, most men are uncircumcised; probably around 80%.

This is also my biggest Czech language faux pas.  So many years ago someone at work used the phrase dělát opičky which translates to "making monkeys".  So if you are goofing off, or monkeying around, in Czech you are "making monkeys".  Later that evening I was telling my Czech teacher what I had learned.  I said it and I got a blank response.  So I said it again.  I tried to explain and said it again but the whole time she just had this confused look on her face.

Then all of a sudden she got it.  Dělat opičky.  Apparently I had really butchered the phrase.  When I asked her what I was saying she began to blush and explain that it was something for little Jewish boys.  Go figure!  I was saying Dělat obřizky...to perform a circumcision.  I never made that linguistic blunder again.

I told my mates at work what happened and they all fell out laughing.  This got us on the topic of "German war helmets" and "turtleneck sweaters" and it was rather interesting trying to explain that I am cut but not Jewish.  Who knew that over here I would be exotic?