
Python code and data https://gist.github.com/cavedave/b731785a9c43cd3ff76c36870249e7f1
Main inspiration https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fapnha37a0fk51.jpg wiktionary and this (source entries linked in data csv) used a lot
Here translated means going back far enough till I find some funny root words. Turkish, Welsh (and main Irish word) and some others do not have known root words.
Posted by cavedave
![Bat, Overly Literally Translated into English [OC] Bat, Overly Literally Translated into English [OC]](https://www.byteseu.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/iynptv9x0fwe1-893x1024.png)
17 Comments
Skin Thing sounds like it would be the villain in a comic book starring a skeletal hero
“winged rat” Ha! I’ll always name them like that!
I’ll show you my skin thing if you show me your leather flapper.
“Dark death”—goodness, the Irish must be terrified of bats.
If anything, it’s English that has the strangest name for a bat.
Everyone else is giving either a literal description or an archaic/plague-era title to bats, while North Africa is singing Macklemore’s Thrift Shop.
The Sami heard about planes before bats?
Evening creature almost sounds romantic.
Leather flapper! That sounds like a Samuel L. Jackson quote 🙂
Ireland didn’t hold back on their naming of the flap mouse.
For anyone interested, bat comes from Middle English bakke, which likely comes from the Old Norse leðrblaka, meaning “leather flapper.” Makes sense that the most isolated language cluster for the old Norse language in Iceland has the same translation.
In polish “nietoperz” has nothing to do with night flyer, and the source You mention on your page – wiki does not saying anything like that it is night flyer.
I wasn’t sure if Dark Death or Leather Flapper was my favourite.
The. I saw watwat watwat
Hey baby, why don’t you come back to my place and let me show you my naked night one 😏
“plane mouse”—what did they call it before planes were invented?
i had to look more into this for Spanish.
It seems Murcielago comes from Murciego which is old Spanish for Mur(‘Mouse’) + ciego(‘Blind’). I was not able to find anything further to see where little came from.
Edit: Forgot to add, in some Spanish speaking countries it is also known as “Raton Volador” which literally translates to “Flying Mouse”
“Butterfly of the night”
https://preview.redd.it/uhqz3jtsafwe1.jpeg?width=827&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4ff60238504c1a6ace97b8b08ae31ffc5d6f937