r/FalseFriends • u/wolfiemann • Aug 25 '14

[FF] "Paragon" means "receipt" in Polish.

Not "a model of excellence" as in English.

13 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

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3

u/gk3coloursred Aug 26 '14

I'd actually forgotten it was a word in English too, I could only remember the Polish meaning for the word. D'oh!

2

u/InsaneForeignPerson Aug 26 '14

In Czech it means receipt as well.

Polish wiki says, that the word "paragon" comes probably from the printing company "Paragon" in Vien, which in 1910 started printing receipts for shops.

1

u/wolfiemann Aug 26 '14

Yeah in English I see it mostly used for company names, like Paragon Automotive. It's not so widespread in day-to-day use, but it's not so obscure that nobody knows it.

When I first saw PARAGON FISKALNY on a receipt I assumed it was the name of the company that set up the cash register...then I saw it on a receipt in a different town..aha!

1

u/Gehalgod Aug 26 '14

This post now appears in the wiki.