"Don't mention the war!" entering the Dutch dictionary

World Famous quote "Don't mention the war" from the controversial episode of the British hit comedy Fawlty Towers will be featured in the Dutch dictionary, Van Dale. Editor-in-chief of the dictionary, Ton den Boon, announced on the radio program Volgspot.

In the episode "The Germans," hotel owner Basil Fawlty, John Cleese, receives a group of German guests. He continuously instructs his staff not to mention the Second World War by saying, "Don't mention the war!" A resolution, Cleese does not always stick to himself.

According to Den Boon, the phrase has acquired a permanent place in the Dutch language over the past forty years. "It is often used jokingly when a topic threatens to come up that you would rather not bring up," he explained in Volgspot. Initially, this often actually happened in combination with the Second World War. "But nowadays it is also very often used in other ways. The economy page recently said, 'Don't mention the dollar' because the dollar was very low. Or in the context of the coronavirus: 'Don't mention the bat.'"

In the mid-1970s, John Cleese made twelve episodes about the hotel Fawlty Tower. The series is considered one of the best television comedies ever made.