No Mas on the Nova

In yesterday's WSJ editorial page, I read someone again making the point that Chevy's Nova did not sell well in Spanish speaking countries because no va means "No go" in Spanish.

Once and for all, it's a myth people. It didn't happen.

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp Snopes lays out all of the salient points.

The whole idea is so damn stupid it's annoying. They are two different words entirely. One is a proper noun, the other a negated conjugation of the infinitive ir (to go).

Yup, them Spanish speakin' peoples were soooo DUMB that they couldn't tell the difference between Nova and no va and therefore didn't buy the Chevy.

What makes the repeating of this falsehood even worse is the fact that it is often used as an example of Stupid American Parochialism that we should all try to avoid.

Please immediately punch anyone you catch repeating this nonsense in the el estomago (little Spanish lingo for you) immediamente if not sooner.