Does your language have animal slangs?
Does your language have animal slangs?
In Portuguese, I find it funny that gato/gata could be someone attractive or a literal cat.
As a lusophone (of the Brazilian variety), it's weird that "cão" (dog) can refer either to a dog or to the devil (???).
Or how "veado" (deer) can mean "deer" the animal, a gay person (pejoratively) or "dude" in slang (depends on the region and on the speaker's vocabulary).
Exatamente! A língua portuguesa pode ser estranha né?
In Russian there are many slang words with similar meaning to English.
"Змея" is snake. Same meanings with animal and someone who is deceiving or treacherous
"Киска" is pussy with same meanings
More unique is probably "тёлка" - heifer. A bit derogatory term for young woman. Size does not matter. Kinda similar to English chick
One very specific to Russian is rooster "петух". It comes from prison slang and means a person from prison untouchable caste. Literally untouchable, because if you touch them you will also become петух. A terrible insult, you may be killed if you say it to a wrong person
"Козел" male goat is another one from prison slang, which means an inmate that works with prison administration. Outside of prison in everyday life is just a very bad insult
"Chatte" (female cat) is the equivalent of pussy in english.
"Poulet" (chicken) is a cop. "Poulette" (hen) is a rather disrespectful word for a women.
"Gorille" (gorilla) is a tall muscular person.
"Cochon" (pig) is someone filthy, especially in the sexual sense. (can be used as an adjective, "films cochons" are porn films).
"Canard" (duck) can be a newspaper, or a mistake when playing music.
"Levrette" (female greyhound) is the name for the doggy style sexual position.
"Vache" (cow) can be either someone mean, either a cop. The second case is rarely used except in the sentence "Mort aux vaches" (death to the cops) and probably comes from the Wache germanic root for Guardian, rather than the actual animal.
"개새끼" (pronounced gay sek ee) literally translates to "dog baby". "Son of a bitch" in Korean. It's honestly the only example I can think of in Korean. I guess you also hear "돼지" (pronounced dway ji) meaning "pig" for fat people. Pretty bog standard around here I guess.
Kutta in Punjabi is dog, but it can also be an insult and often is (kutti would be the same as calling someone a Bitch).
When I was really young I was in India, and a dog had pups and I tried to approach her, to pet her, and she barked at me which gave me a bit of a spook.I ran in the house yelling, "kutta doggie!! Kutta doggie!!"
Everyone started laughing :(In Italy "uccello" (bird) means penis in a very unformal context, usually used with friends. In Tuscany, for the regional ones, we have "Topa" (female of the mouse) to indicate a very pretty girl, also very unformal and a bit rude. Same translation for "passera" (female of the sparrow). Both can also indicate the literal female reproductive organe. "Gatta morta" (dead female cat) means somebody who acts ingenous or hide her personality under a chill, almost naif mask to act at the opportune moment.
Hah that's interesting! In Spanish we have "mosquita muerta", meaning dead female fly, and means exactly what the gatta morta does for you.
I like gatta better, cats are more dangerous :)
Very interesting! Yeah it's strange the use of the fly, i'd argue that a cat has a more doubleface aura than a cat. Still pretty cool
Bird is slang for woman in the UK and in the Midlands duck is a slang for when you're talking to anyone
Most I can think of at the moment are derogatory.
A "dog" is a person pushing their horniness to inappropriate levels.
A "cow" is someone fat and slow/stupid.
A "shark" is a savvy business person who edges into taking advantage of people unethically.
A "snake" is a liar and a cheat. Sometimes slang for a penis.
Quiet, shy people are "mousy".
Someone who tattles to cops/authority is a "rat".
A "chick" is an old-timey term for a girl/woman that might get you slapped.
A "kitty" is a vagina and also may get you slapped depending on context.
Someone messy/dirty is a "pig". "Pig" might also be used for a man who is rude and pushing sexual innuendos onto women without their consent.
While to "go the whole hog" means to not hild back, to embrace doing a thing completely.
Why would chick get you slapped? Growing up that just meant girl. No connotations
Go somewhere public and call a girl a chick, see what happens 😂
Seriously though, it's not the word that's the issue, it's the labelling of someone based on their gender. I can't speak for the bottom line as I don't appear to be a woman, but I'd start getting fucked off if a generic term was used to address me when I had a perfectly good name.
In the UK, an equivalent is "bird". Equally likely to get you booted in the balls.
It feels kinda like you're objectifying them. Really depends who you use it with though, like all words.
Yeah, I would advise using against using it today. Like, I said, old timey. Not as acceptable as it might have been in decades past.
I'm middle millennial and consider it flippant at best. Like "chick flicks" and "chick lit" are seen as less serious/valuable/artistic than media intended for men. "Hot chick" as a way to value/devalue a woman on looks alone.
Bitch [a female dog], an unpleasant or disagreeable woman, a man or woman made submissive or subservient, the act of complaining and finally something causing you problems or complications in an annoying way.
In USA pigs = police
In every country, all cops are pigs.
Someone who is a snake can't be trusted.
Of course the word bitch, a female dog.
In Spanish, gato is not necessarily attractive (though they usually are) but a cheap sex worker or a promiscuous seductress/tor.
Potro (colt) is an attractive young man
Yegua (mare) equivalent to bitch, an asshole woman
Vaca (cow) same as in English, could be used for someone overweight or dumb
Cerdo (pig) same as English, a filthy/fat personMarmota and burro (marmot and donkey resp.) someone dumb
Vibora, buitre (snake, vulture resp.) toxic person
Sapo, bicho (frog, bug resp.) someone ugly
Mariposa (butterfly) allegedly or suspected to be gayThose are the first ones to pop into my mind but I'm sure there's more
Wondering what region of Spanish this is. I'm mexican and I know some of them but have never heard of others.
Could be argentinian, at least it checks out. Every one of those is used over there, and the slang sounds about right.
I mean, could be from Spain.
monkey = not attractive, can also be foolish
gorilla = swole, ripped
crocodile = greedy
worm = of low social status
turtle = slow
cockroach = hard to kill
In Norwegian, Grouse (Rype. Don't bother trying, you're definitely pronouncing it incorrectly) somehow became slang for an attractive woman. Not used that often anymore, though.
Caged owl (Burugle) is slang for an unattractive woman.
Cougar, older women attracted to younger men.
fox is older term for a good looking female. also a vixen is a term for a suductress.
In the USA, "cat" can mean just any person, a woman, or vagina (an alternative to the more vulgar term that used to mean cat).
Mongoose: humorous term for a man who is successful in social situations (for example with women).
Monkey: Clever or competent person, usually used when someone accomplishes something unexpected with a nuance of "how did you even do that".
Chick: Slang for boyfriend.
uhh, « manger comme un cochon » is to eat like a pig. more idioms but i speak english better. « malin comme un singe » is to be very clever (« as a monkey »)
i’ve heard « serpent » for backstabber, or serpan since i’m learning haitian creole
In some Spanish-speaking regions, a goat is usually like a big dumb guy. And calling someone a horse is another way of saying they’re stupid.
Catalan has sheep to mean slut. Woodworm for somebody that pesters or annoys insistently. Ferret for a sly person. A rat, contrary to other languages where it's a traitor, is more used for stingy people.