See you later, alligator
When I was younger, kids and young people in the USA often said good-bye with the phrase, “See you later, alligator.” The other person would reply, “In a while (or after a while), crocodile.” There was no meaning implied using the terms for the oft scary reptiles of folktales (such as Peter Pan) and wild animal shows. Cultural differences emerged just the other day after a church fellowship meal,…
When I was younger, children and young adults in the United States frequently bid farewell with the expression, “See you later, alligator.” The person responding would typically say, “In a while, crocodile.” The terms for the fearsome reptiles from folklore and wild animal exhibitions did not hold any hidden meaning. However, a cultural difference surfaced recently during a church fellowship meal.
I greeted a young multicultural, English-fluent child with the phrase. A Korean parishioner nearby expressed concern that the child might be frightened, or the parents might be offended. This prompted a learning experience for all involved from various cultural backgrounds. The phrase is merely rhyming slang with no connection to reptiles.
While playful greetings, sayings, and wordplays exist in numerous cultures and languages, finding equivalents or parallels can be challenging. In Korea, there is no comparable expression to “see you later, alligator.”
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- See you later, alligator koreatimes.co.kr
