sick man of Europe

English

Etymology

A calque of a phrase coined by Czar Nicholas I, Romanov, of the Empire of Russia: больно́й челове́к Европы (bolʹnój čelovék Jevropy). This name for the Turkish Ottoman Empire refers to the sickly state of the Ottoman state in the 19th century.

Proper noun

sick man of Europe

(archaic, politics) Ottoman Empire.
(politics) Any European country undergoing economic difficulty.
- 2022 November 27, William Keegan, “Brexit has made Britain the sick man of Europe again”, in The Guardian‎:
  Yes, we were known as the “sick man of Europe” until we joined the European Union and – guess what – we have left the EU and have regained that dubious status.

Derived terms

Translations

Ottoman Empire

Danish: Europas syge mand c
Dutch: zieke man van Europa m
Finnish: Euroopan sairas mies
French: homme malade de l’Europe m
German: kranker Mann am Bosporus m
Greek: μεγάλος ασθενής m (megálos asthenís)
Japanese: ヨーロッパの病人 (yōroppa no byōnin)
Korean: 유럽의 환자 (yureobui hwanja)
Norwegian: Europas syke mann
Polish: chory człowiek Europy m
Portuguese: homem doente da Europa m
Russian: больно́й челове́к Евро́пы m (bolʹnój čelovék Jevrópy)
Serbo-Croatian: болесник Еуропе m (bolesnik Europe)
Spanish: hombre enfermo de Europa m
Swedish: Europas sjuke man c
Turkish: Avrupa'nın hasta adamı
Uyghur: ياۋروپا كېسەل كۆرپىسى (yawropa kësel körpisi)

any European country undergoing economic difficulty

Finnish: Euroopan sairas mies
Portuguese: doente da Europa m, homem doente da Europa m

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