Les goddams
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During the Hundred Years' War and many other conflicts between England and France in the Middle Ages, the French came to call the English (and especially its infantry), les goddamns or les goddams after their frequent expletives. Sir Richard Burton also points out the equivalent adoption of Godames in Brazil and Gotama in Somalia [1].
The term godons was used by Jeanne d'Arc with the same purpose [2], and the forms goddam, goddem and godden also derive from that expression.
This expression has also been used by Acadians in Quebec [3] and Louisiana, and Zachary Richard has included it in the lyrics of a song in French [4].
This sort of appellation based on utterance is common when persons from different cultures interact (see, for example, the nickname Che as applied to Ernesto Guevara). Nowadays, les goddams has somewhat fallen out of favour.
Another similar designations are los guiris, an informal Spanish term, sometimes pejorative, sometimes facetious, for foreigners, especially for English-speaking ones, from the question "Where is...?" asked by tourists (influenced in the form by the preexisting Spanish word "guiri", with a completely unrelated meaning) and os camones used for English speakers in southern Portugal. Its origin is unclear, but the "come on" used by local guides to direct the tourists touring the country is a likely possibility.
