Banabak*

Etymology, the science of word’s formation history is one of the most interesting and enigmatic. It enlightens unbelievable connections between folks.

Today in the lunch time I ran to a jewelry shop to check out an assortment and select something beautiful for my coming birthday. There I met a man, the oriental one, also buyer. He asked, what attracted me at the showcase. I was like, everything! He was like, you are exactly similar my wife this way, we burst out laughing.

Two teenagers, passing over, called him banabak.

In a moment man from joyful and humorous turned into furious and offended. He sent them some curse in his language.

I recognized it was Turkish, and asked not to pay attention to non-cultural teens. He involved me in the discussion of meaning the word "banabak".

Literally, in Turkish “bana bak” equals to “look at me”, “look here”.

Mert (my recent interlocutor) idealized martial Turks. He thought, that roots of formation this word traces back to Turkish-Russian battles. I was standing for the more recent times.

He said solemnly with vehemence of the real oriental: "Turks never used to kill a man, turned back to them, during the combat brave Turkish warriors demanded from enemy to look into their eyes. They shouted – Bana bak! bana bak! - brandishing a saber and Russians started to call them and others Orientals with this word.”

"O, Mert – I said slightly graciously, - I think, everything is mush easier! No doubts, it was traditional treatment of hot-tempered Turkish-speaking and other Asians ... males to our locals, especially to females ones. Well, they have to attract attention to themselves some way, even if they don’t know a language. But our mocking beauties made an offensive nickname of this word.
It made him laugh again, but unfortunately our further talk deviated from etymology subtleties, I lost interest and took a leave.
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*Banabak – abusive curse, applied to people with oriental appearance – black hairs, eyes and swarthy skin, quite popular in the Ukraine and south of Russia…