Where does “tappa hakan” come from?

tappa hakan (Swedish) comes from Swedish täppa, from Old Norse tapa, from Proto-Germanic tappōną — to tap.

tappa hakan (Swedish): to have one's jaw drop (become very surprised, shocked, or amazed)

Definitions

  1. to have one's jaw drop (become very surprised, shocked, or amazed)

Ancestry of “tappa hakan”, step by step

tappa hakan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish täppa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishtäppato block or obstruct a passage, "e.g." a leak
2Old Norsetapato lose
3Proto-Germanictappōnąto tap

via Swedish Håkan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishHåkan—
2Old NorseHákon—
Every word from Proto-Germanic tappōną →Every word from Old Norse tapa →Every word from Swedish täppa →