411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
English disease
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
A calque of phrases from various languages, including the en fr maladie anglaise 1, en pl angielska choroba 1, en de englische Krankheit 1 and the en ru англи́йская боле́знь 1.
Proper noun
1
football (soccer) hooliganism.
depression (especially suicidal).
hypochondria.
sweating sickness.
gout.
rickets.
syphilis.
bronchitis.
tuberculosis.
laziness; low motivation.
Poor industrial relations and the resulting economic weakness.
masochism, especially a fondness for flagellation.
gambling.
haemophilia.
homosexuality.
Usage notes
The meaning of the phrase the English disease, as with other similar terms such as the French disease and the Italian disease, depends heavily on the context and prejudices of the speaker. This is especially the case in the pejorative sense "syphilis", in which the nationality is essentially interchangeable depending on which country the speaker wishes to disparage.
Quotations
en
en Football (soccer) Diseases LGBTQ Gambling Economics