krokodili

krokodili

Esperanto

FWOTD – 10 September 2016

"Ne krokodilu" sign

Etymology

From krokodilo (“crocodile”). The origin of the expression is unclear. Several suggestions have been made:

• From the fact that crocodiles' extremely large mouths make an apt comparison for carelessly flapping one's jaws without consideration.[1][2][3]
• Ferrari, an Esperantist in Paris in the 1930s, would comment Kion volas tiuj krokodiloj? (What do those crocodiles want?) when noisy non-Esperantists entered the cafe where he was speaking Esperanto with friends.[4]
• Students of Andreo Cseh. When Cseh taught Esperanto, students were only allowed to speak their native language when they were holding a wooden crocodile he always brought with him.

The latter two may be allusions to the idiom rather than its source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /krokoˈdili/

Verb

krokodili (present krokodilas, past krokodilis, future krokodilos, conditional krokodilus, volitive krokodilu)

1. (slang) to speak among Esperantists in a language besides Esperanto, especially one's native language or a language not spoken by everyone present (literally, "to crocodile")
   • 2001 April, Hori Yasuo, “Kron-Put: Vjetnama bambua muzikilo”, in Monato, ISSN 0772-456X, OCLC 12892852, page 27:

     Miaj geamikoj, krokodilante, decidis mendojn.

     My friends, speaking their native language, decided on [food] orders.

Conjugation

Conjugation of krokodili present past future singular plural singular plural singular plural tense krokodilas krokodilis krokodilos active participle krokodilanta krokodilantaj krokodilinta krokodilintaj krokodilonta krokodilontaj acc. krokodilantan krokodilantajn krokodilintan krokodilintajn krokodilontan krokodilontajn nominal active participle krokodilanto krokodilantoj krokodilinto krokodilintoj krokodilonto krokodilontoj acc. krokodilanton krokodilantojn krokodilinton krokodilintojn krokodilonton krokodilontojn adverbial active participle krokodilante krokodilinte krokodilonte infinitive krokodili imperative krokodilu conditional krokodilus

Antonyms

• malkrokodili (“to speak in Esperanto among non-Esperanto speakers”)

References

1. Arika Okrent (2010: 113) In the Land of Invented Languages: A Celebration of Linguistic Creativity, Madness, and Genius
2. Lindstedt, Jouko (2010) Esperanto as a Family Language
3. Joseph F. Conroy (1999: 223 pp.) Esperanto-English/English-Esperanto Dictionary & Phrasebook
4. Andreo Ĉerpiljodo (2006: 185) Lingvaj Babilaĵoj

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Ido

Noun

krokodili

1. plural of krokodilo