Gasur t1_iu87nrw wrote on October 29, 2022 at 9:08 AM

Reply to comment by myindependentopinion in TIL that when the French first arrived in North America they met the Ojibwe Indians who introduced them to other tribes but used nasty names. The Lakota/Dakota people were called "Nadowessiwag," which became Nadouessioux in French, then Sioux in English. It means "little snake." by marmorset

If you were translating folles avoine literally, it would be fool's oats rather than crazy oats.

English uses the same concept sometimes. Pyrite is also known as fool's gold for example.

Still not what they should have been calling your tribe of course.

asrenos t1_iu9g1bt wrote on October 29, 2022 at 4:21 PM

Not really, it's an archaic use of fol (fou in modern French) in it's feminine form which is used in that context to designate plants that grow abundantly and seemingly randomly. You can search for "Herbe folle" if you want more info on that.