“It’s a good thing I only took a year of French.”
(Starsky vs. Hutch)
Foreign Language Use and Abuse
- “Asmodeus Satanas” = two definitions of “asmodeus” are “demon” and “destroyer” (Satan’s Witches)
- “Dominicus” Huggy uses in his magic act. (Murder at Sea)
- “Dominus Satanas” = “dominus” is a word for “clergyman” and one definition of “satanas” is “God’s adversary.” (Satan’s Witches)
- “Gesundheit,” Hutch offers to Starsky after his sneeze. (Terror on the Docks)
- “Gesundheit,” Starsky offers to Hutch after his sneeze. (Pilot)
- “Pas du tout.” Starsky pronounces it right, and he knows what it means, but closed captioning spells it “pas du tois.” (The Vampire)
- “Shalom” is said. (A Body Worth Guarding)
- “Tadzhik” = Anna says it is the middle name for someone who cares. Perhaps, but it is also a term for a member of people inhabiting Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and China (A Body Worth Guarding)
- “Tempus fugit = “time flies”—Starsky uses Latin, Hutch seems puzzled. (Pariah)
- Blaze butchers a Chinese phrase. (Targets Without a Badge: Part 2)
- Both Starsky and Hutch mangle “Takahashi.” (Murder At Sea)
- Huggy complains with some Italian to Starsky and Hutch, “It’s bad enough that I talk to you guys sotto voce…” (The Plague)
- Huggy tells Dobey, “S’il vous plait, tout suite.” (The Bait)
- Hutch calls his houseplant “Meschugah Mantherlus.” Meschugah (or Meshuggenah) is Yiddish for “crazy person. “Mantherlus” doesn’t translate as anything but is probably an inside joke and supposed to sound Latin. (Ballad for a Blue Lady)
- Hutch’s comment to Starsky’s “el roado” is “big dealo.” (Partners)
- Starsky mispronounces French, “debonair” and “suave.” Hutch corrects him. (The Vampire)
- Hutch knows the Spanish word for “murder,” which helps with the case. (The Velvet Jungle)
- Hutch pronounces Akhanatova, which impresses Anna. (A Body Worth Guarding)
- Hutch tells Starsky “fait accompli,” Starsky replies, “Who?” (The Game)
- Hutch toasts Kate with the Scandinavian “skol.” This may work in his favor in his pursuit of her bedroom. (Cover Girl)
- Hutch, not understanding Van Dam’s “Tot ziens,” Dutch for “Goodbye,” replies, “Tempus fugit.” (Dandruff)
- Hutch’s knowledge of Spanish, used when he questions her at the station, perhaps puts Andrea Gutierrez more at ease? (The Velvet Jungle)
- Starsky attempts sign language. (I Love You, Rosey Malone)
- Starsky curses in Spanish at phone booth; Hutch tells him “your Spanish is getting better.” (Texas Longhorn)
- Starsky tells the wrestler they handcuff to “stay cool, big fella, Comprendo?” (Texas Longhorn)
- Starsky doesn’t seem to remember his lesson at the ballet and says “bravo” to K.C. McBride. (Quadromania)
- Starsky mispronounces “machismo.” Hutch helpfully corrects. (Kill Huggy Bear)
- Starsky mispronounces “vice versa.” (The Deadly Imposter)
- Starsky mispronounces Akhanatova. (A Body Worth Guarding)
- Starsky replies in Spanish, “Pero claro que si,” “but of course” when Rosey Malone asks Starsky if he’s into Mexican art. (I Love You, Rosey Malone)
- Starsky says, “Esta Ramon aqui?” at the barrio bar. (The Velvet Jungle)
- Starsky speaks a little French with a passable accent to Inspector Godfrey. (Starsky and Hutch on Voodoo Island)
- Starsky uses Russian word for “friend” so Iggy will put him down. (Omaha Tiger)
- Starsky wants to have a “tete a tete,” and Hutch tells him “your Spanish is improving.” (Jojo)
- Starsky yells out “bravo” rather than “brava” to Anna. He corrects himself after hearing Hutch. (A Body Worth Guarding)
- Steinmetz uses German phrase, “Nicht wahr” –meaning “not true/truly” (A Body Worth Guarding)
- The cop in House Three tells Starsky his Spanish stinks. (Lady Blue)
- The fur coat burglars use “babushkas” as something somebody wears, and then as breasts. But it is really a Russian term for “old woman.” (The Groupie)
- The horrid, deranged Kramer-Like Sandwich Guy uses “el closo” as Spanish. (The Velvet Jungle)
Fake Foreign Accents
- Hutch, German (The Deadly Imposter)
- Hutch, Irish (The Collector, Iron Mike)
- Hutch, Texan (The Bait, Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart)
- Hutch, New York (Survival)
- Huggy, English (Huggy Bear and the Turkey)
- Matt Coyle, Irish (Iron Mike)
- Starsky, French (Bust Amboy)
- Huggy has a passable Oxford accent and uses it as Prince Nairobi. (Dandruff)
- Huggy demonstrates his Oxford accent to Turkey. (Huggy Bear and the Turkey)
- Starsky, Argentinian (Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart)
- Starsky, some odd Argentinian-French thing (The Groupie)
- Hutch is told to lose his corny accent by bar patron who recognizes him. (The Groupie)
- Though not technically an accent, Bo Rile’s fake stutter on the phone is impressive nonetheless. (The Bounty Hunter)
One Very Real, Very Subtle Accent
- John Colby must have originally been from Canada. As he explains the beach plan to his thug, one can hear him say “house” and “outside” in a lovely Canadian lilt. (The Deadly Imposter)
Comments on the English Language
- Huggy says, “The English language is not the exclusive property of the white man,” when Starsky and Hutch are puzzled by his use of the word “sacrosanct.” (The Set-Up)
- Starsky comments on Hutch’s pronunciation of “harassment” (Bust Amboy)
- Starsky harasses Hutch on Hutch’s pronunciation of “literature” (Bust Amboy)
