m4rc0 wrote:>Hanchou is a Japanese word though
Yes, after I was told it was a slang I googled it and discovered the japanses origin of the term.
The problem with the preview is that it is a series of clips pasted together, so we can't really have a context. And his saying that he was a private jerk could make sense if that was a full scene.
>Well, I did assume that people knew what a "private dick" was, so by your definition, this is okay for me to use
Well, when one translates, one always do. Else, it wouldn't be possible to translate anything. But is dick as detective a common slang in the media? I mean, I read a lot of comics in english, watch many TV series and movies in english and an ocasional talk show. I never heard it before. But I never read a detective book or watched a noir movie in english... But I digress, my point was: if it doesn't bother you, think about the non-native while translating. I trust that your common sense alone will be enough. If it does bother you, don't.
http://www.word-detective.com/090304.html
"The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, however, suggests an entirely different origin for "dick," one that I find very plausible. They trace the noun "dick" in the "detective" sense to the 19th century (around 1864) criminal underworld slang verb "to dick," meaning "to watch." This "dick" came in turn from the Romany (the language of the Gypsies) word "dik," meaning "to look, to see." This is significant because the Gypsies, originally from northern India, played a prominent role in the British underworld in the 18th and 19th centuries, and several Romany words (including "posh") percolated into general English usage during that period. One can easily imagine "dick" meaning "to watch" being transformed into a noun that means "one who watches, a police detective, etc." It is even possible that the popularity of Dick Donovan tales at the time contributed to the spread of the term "dick" among the law-abiding (and mystery-reading) public."
So Its safe to say they used the word correctly and that the Word has been used in the media for over a 100 years.
You can call me The Doctor though. 
