The Swedish word for “donut” is “munk”. For the last ten to twenty years or so, the English word has become increasingly common to use, especially for the variety with holes.

I am at the supermarket and see that they have a deal for four donuts at half-price, so I pick them up. Normally, I never buy donuts, since I find them a little pricey for what you get; also, they are rather unhealthy but good.

After paying, I look at the receipt and see that I did not receive the discount, and I inquire about this. The cashier points to the filled donut.

Cashier: “That is a munk, not a donut.”

Me: “Oh, are the filled donuts not included in the deal?”

Cashier: “The deal only applies to the donuts.”

Me: “Well, ‘donut’ and ‘munk’ are synonyms. But do you mean the discount only applies to the ones with holes?”

Cashier: “Only the donuts are in the deal. Why would there be two different words if they are the same thing?”

Me: “The words are synonyms. Many things have two different words for them.”

Cashier: “There wouldn’t be two different words if they were the same thing.”

The cashier had clearly stopped listening and kept repeating himself. I didn’t feel like paying double just because of his lacking vocabulary, so I gave up and just exchanged the filled donut.