‘Going Dutch’ is a term for dining-etiquette in the western world, where each person pays for his/her own meal rather than one person paying for everyone.
There are several theories about the origination of the term; the origins, however, are not completely clear.
Theory 1: A derogatory expression that the British coined for the Dutch during Anglo-Dutch wars.
Britain and the United Provinces of Netherlands (referred to as the Dutch Republic) fought four wars across the 17th and 18th centuries.
Nearly all of these battles were naval engagements and often British sailors used curses to demean the Dutch counterparts and gave ‘Dutch’ a negative connotation.
E.g. Dutch courage (courage from drinking liquor), Dutch metal (imitation of gold), Dutch palate (low-class) & Dutch nightingale (a frog).
Similarly, a ‘Dutch treat’ was no treat and everybody was to pay for himself/herself.
Theory 2: It comes from the concept of a Dutch door, which has an upper and lower half that can be opened ‘independently’.
So, Going Dutch means everyone pays independently.
Theory 3: The German settlers’ reputation for never leaving a debt unpaid.
In the 17th & 18th centuries, many people from Germany settled in Pennsylvania, US.
The German word for ‘German’ is ‘Deutsch’ and these German settlers soon became known as Pennsylvania Dutch.
The Pennsylvania Dutch quickly developed a reputation for never leaving a debt unpaid (they would pay for themselves in restaurants and bars, thus, never owing anyone any money).
‘Dutch Treat’ is believed to have first appeared in print in 1873 in The Daily Democrat and ‘Dutch Lunch’ in Morning Journal in 1897.
The fact that both these publications are US-based, makes the theory of the phrase’s origin in America more plausible.
