. . . jerrold in toronto: Strange Katakana

While looking for some cool trivia questions about japan, i found this list of strange katakana-english words on an ex-iabaraki jet' blog.

Enjoy the confusion!

Sometimes Katakana English doesn't quite jive with English. Sometimes it corresponds in interesting ways. Here are some examples of such Japanese words taken from English:

torampu = playing cards (from “trump”)
wan wan = bow wow (a dog’s bark)
shaapen = mechanical pencil (from “sharp pencil”?)
coora = air conditioner (from “cooler”)
forubaru = a walk in baseball (from “four balls”)
herusumeeta = a bathroom scale (from “health meter”)
gasustando = gas station (from “gas stand”)
noto = notebook (from “note”)
manshyan = small apartment (from “mansion”)
dedobaru = a beanball in baseball (from “dead ball”)
furontogurasu = a car windshield (from “front glass”)
jipan = jeans (from “jean pants”)
handoru = a car steering wheel (from “handle”)
patocaa = police car (from “patrol car”)
hochikisu = a stapler (from “Hotchkiss” the inventor)
opincaa = convertible (from “open car”)
sumaato = slender person (from “smart”)

I woke up today and was shocked by what my health meter read. I'm not looking so smart these days. I then left my mansion in my open car. I passed a patrol car on my way to a gas stand where I refueled. The attendant was wearing jean pants and cleaned my front glass. While I waited, I used my sharp pencil to jot some notes in my note. I needed to remind myself to replace my broken Hotchkiss and buy a new deck of trump for my upcoming poker game.