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Comments by super-sdb
super-sdb commented on the word bistro
The Russian word for fast is ?????? (which roughly equates to "bistro"). But this account of the etymology is not to do with the service being faster - almost the opposite. When the Russians occupied Paris in 1814, soldiers would sit at tables in the cafes and shout "bistro!" at the waiters to try and get served quicker.
Although it's quite possible that the Russian soldiers behaved in that way, it's unlikely that this is in fact the origin of the word in French, as there is no recorded use of the word bistro in the French language until 70 years later, in 1884.
June 26, 2009