# pétasse



## DearPrudence

Hello everybody

I already see you scream in horror reading the title of this thread. But I really wonder how you say that in English. Every dictionary gives translations such as 'slut' or 'tart' but I completely disagree. I won't say that the French word is nice but in some cases it's not that 'violent'. 
So, would there be something less violent like 'girly girls' or something like that.

Thank you very much


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## Cavatine

Hum... I'll say _bitch_, or, more "elegant", _street walker_ ? - even if the french word "péripatéticienne" sounds better -

Une autre question, par rapport à ce sujet: vous savez si l'on peut traduire "fille de joie" ?


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## xav

Je ne suis pas sûr que le mot "pétasse" ait cette connotation.
Il est évidemment péjoratif et, pour moi, proche dans la signification de "une fille plutôt tarte" - donc je me demande si "tart" est si loin que cela, mais je ne connais pas assez l'anglais pour répondre.


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## edwingill

perhaps floozy is less offensive


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## la reine victoria

I like the good old English words -

*hussy* 

*strumpet*



LRV


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## geve

J'ai l'impression que le mot peut avoir deux sens en français, selon le contexte où il est utilisé :

- une fille méchante, sournoise, proche de l'anglais "bitch" (tel que décrit dans ce fil)
_Non mais t'as vu comment elle me parle, celle-là ? Franchement, quelle pétasse !_

- ou bien une fille facile, superficielle, voire franchement vulgaire - qui me rappelle le fil sur les bimbos qui a longtemps tenu le haut du pavé, vous vous rappelez ?  
_Quel enflure, ce Gérard, me plaquer comme ça pour la première pétasse venue !_

J'aurais plutôt tendance à l'utiliser dans le 1er sens, mais j'ai l'impression que ce n'est pas ce que notre chère Prudence a en tête... me trompé-je ?


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## shannonkah

Hi,
In my humble opinion Petasse is not that bad, it has a sort of lively connotation to it, depending on the general context I would rather transate as "chick" or " bimbo".

Cheers


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## Agnès E.

I don't agree with you, shannonkah. *Pétasse* IS a negative, pejorative and discontempting word.


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## Cavatine

Je rejoins l'idée d'Agnès E. Traiter une dame de pétasse n'est franchement pas la meilleure tactique pour la séduire. Néanmoins, je crois que les deux définitions qu'à donné geve tendent à se mélanger: une "pétasse" est souvent considérée comme une "bimbo", superficielle, et couchant à tout va, ainsi que comme une fille pas très fréquentable, en somme.

Enfin, je préfère la dénomination qu'en fait Brassens, avec sa "Complainte des filles de joie"


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## shannonkah

Hi,

Sorry to disagree, petasse is used rather indiscriminately today, especially by the young,  and as far as I know does not necessarily mean prostitute.....I think bimbo reflects the superficiality and vulgarity of "petasse" .


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## Jim69

bimbo... I suppose that it's the same.

Petasse or bimbo même combat


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## williamc

Hi everyone,

My dictionary of french slang rather pompously says
"immoral woman".  Voila!


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## badgrammar

I give a 100% endorsement to the translation of pétasse as "bimbo".  

Although pétasse may differ because it can imply that the woman has some kind of "attitude", whereas the word bimbo leans more on the idea of a woman who is stupid.

But I think it's the best choice for the way the words are both used in French and English today.


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## Hakro

What is the etymology of _pétasse_ ? According to the Babylon dictionary it has something to do with the verb _péter_.


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## Jim69

Hakro said:
			
		

> What is the etymology of _pétasse_ ? According to the Babylon dictionary it has something to do with the verb _péter_.


Une femme qui se la pète... 
"A woman who give it" <= rien n'est moins sûr pour la version Anglaise...

>> http://www.wordreference.com/fren/p%E8ter se la péter (se la raconter) verb give it (show off)
Du moins je pense.


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## nopal

Hakro said:
			
		

> What is the etymology of _pétasse_ ? According to the Babylon dictionary it has something to do with the verb _péter_.


 Bonjour Hakro I'm not really sure that this Pétasse slang word could assume any scientific heritage from any latin or french ancestors .
* pêter ---->fart* might have been an origine as you suggest , but I don't have any Idea of *Why .
*I Will do some archeology for You 
René


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## nopal

*In TLFI http://atilf.atilf.fr

PÉTASSE 1*_, __subst. fém.
__Arg._ ou _vulg. _[Empl. le plus souvent comme injure]  Prostituée débutante ou occasionnelle, femme facile....
_[Mod note: please do not post long extracts, as they violate copyright laws. I have added a link to the source dictionary.]_

Hakro , may be both have the same origin 
The Jim 's "se la péter " is not that old in french language and my guess is that this is not bound to .
René 'try


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## DearPrudence

geve said:
			
		

> J'ai l'impression que le mot peut avoir deux sens en français, selon le contexte où il est utilisé :
> 
> - une fille méchante, sournoise, proche de l'anglais "bitch" (tel que décrit dans ce fil)
> _Non mais t'as vu comment elle me parle, celle-là ? Franchement, quelle pétasse !_
> 
> - ou bien une fille facile, superficielle, voire franchement vulgaire - qui me rappelle le fil sur les bimbos qui a longtemps tenu le haut du pavé, vous vous rappelez ?
> _Quel enflure, ce Gérard, me plaquer comme ça pour la première pétasse venue !_
> 
> J'aurais plutôt tendance à l'utiliser dans le 1er sens, mais j'ai l'impression que ce n'est pas ce que notre chère Prudence a en tête... me trompé-je ?


 
Thanks for all your answer. I completely agree with Geve, you can use 'pétasse' in 2 different ways.
One is really harsh, for instance, if you say: 'espèce de pétasse', and that you could translate into: 'you bitch' (but it's not my style to say that  )
but the other is nicely teasing (?). You will certainly think my parents are horrible monters but sometimes my father says to my female cousins: 'allez les pétasses, arrêtez de vous maquiller on passe à table'.
So it would be more something like 'bimbos' or 'chicks' though I feel that 'bimbo' doesn't have exactly the same meaning.

Some other questions


			
				edwingill said:
			
		

> perhaps floozy is less offensive


So how would you use it?



			
				la reine victoria said:
			
		

> *hussy*
> *strumpet*
> 
> 
> 
> LRV


Isn't it too old fashioned?

But anyway, thank you very much


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## la reine victoria

> Originally posted by *La Reine Victoria*
> *hussy *
> 
> *strumpet*


 


> Originally posted by *Dear Prudence*
> 
> Isn't it too old fashioned?


 

Yes, very old fashioned, but still great to use among friends!  

As is 'Tis pity she's a whore' (from the book by John Ford).

But remember, I mingle with the new Isle of Wight Bloomsbury Set!  



LRV


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## Graham Butler

LRV sounds very genteel to me.  Up here (in the frozen North) we just say 'slag'


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## la reine victoria

Graham Butler said:
			
		

> LRV sounds very genteel to me. Up here (in the frozen North) we just say 'slag'


 


I see you are from Nottinghamshire, Graham. I'm sure there's plenty of 'goosing' to be witnessed at the annual Nottingham Goose Fair. 

The Nottingham *bawds *(now there's another nice word for a slag), dressed in local lace, no doubt entice the gents to perform lewd acts! Especially after a few pints of the latest Castle Rock brew.

Yes, we are very genteel.


LRV


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## Graham Butler

I'm sure they get up to all sorts of interesting things in Nottingham, LRV, though it's a place I've never been to.  'Slag' is no doubt derived from 'slag heap', suggesting something worthless and dirty (though not to archaeologists, I understand).  A slag is a rough and ill-mannered girl who speaks crudely, washes rarely, farts more than the well-bred lady might,  picks her nose and scratches her arse in public.  That seems to cover most of the idea of ‘pétasse’.
There's also the term 'slapper', which is a girl who puts herself about, sleeps around a lot.  The image from which this derives may be that of a paint-brush.


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## la reine victoria

Graham Butler said:
			
		

> I'm sure they get up to all sorts of interesting things in Nottingham, LRV, though it's a place I've never been to. 'Slag' is no doubt derived from 'slag heap', suggesting something worthless and dirty (though not to archaeologists, I understand). A slag is a rough and ill-mannered girl who speaks crudely, washes rarely, farts more than the well-bred lady might, picks her nose and scratches her arse in public. That seems to cover most of the idea of ‘pétasse’.
> There's also the term 'slapper', which is a girl who puts herself about, sleeps around a lot. The image from which this derives may be that of a paint-brush.


 

You are quite right Graham. Slag heaps are beloved of archaeologists since they tell us that metal working took place.  Slag, here, is what remains after the extraction of metal ore during smelting.

I have researched the origins of 'slapper'.  Apparently it comes from the Yiddish word 'schlepper'.  Used by people from East London and Essex.  I also found a vague and vulgar suggestion that it comes from the sound of flesh slapping together while performing the act.   


LRV


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## pozzolini

What about

"hot chick"

"hot stuff"

or,as in new york,  "jap" for PETASSE

*Slut *seems to me too harsh !....and quite offensive...

HOT CHICK is a bit sexists but  acceptable in day to day lingo. JAP is very newyork speel....


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## joleen

I'm only 22 and I have just learned that you could say "pétasse" kindly to someone. I'ev always heard it as a quite harsh insult for a bimbo


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## pozzolini

You are correct

BIMBO carries a connotation of a bit stupid , somebody empty headed (a bit "light " upstairs...) that behaves like a an adolescent and want to attract all attention on herself....

In a few words unreliable but worth the company!


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## gliamo

Quelques définitions glanées sur le net: pétasse pétasses : prostituée, fille d'un mauvais genre, manièrée
 péter (se la) : être prétentieux; pète-sec
 péteux : prétentieux; champagne

Il semblerait que _pétasse_, à l'inverse de la forme masculine _péteux_, n'est pas lié à _se la péter_.

May I suggest _tramp_ for pétasse?


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## geve

gliamo said:


> May I suggest _tramp_ for pétasse?


This looks good!  I found this on the urban dictionary: The difference between a tramp and a woman? A woman lies around and sleeps; a tramp sleeps around and lies.

That's why the lady is a tramp...


joleen said:


> I'm only 22 and I have just learned that you could say "pétasse" kindly to someone. I'ev always heard it as a quite harsh insult for a bimbo


It's not that it's a kind word, but it can be said jokingly between friends, or at least not meaning to seriously offend anyone, like in the context described by DearPrudence. It's still not _nice_, but it's not meant as an insult either.


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## Gordo

'slapper'...


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## gliamo

Gordo said:


> 'slapper'...


That's the one!


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## Cherubino

What about _wench_? Historically it means a serving girl, but today it carries negative connatations, like a loose, promiscuous woman.


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## wildan1

Cherubino said:


> What about _wench_? Historically it means a serving girl, but today it carries negative connatations, like a loose, promiscuous woman.


 
wench is only used today in a comical way to refer to a woman as they did hundreds of years ago.

I would say _bimbo_ is closest to _pétasse_ (in AE anyway).

For _pétasse_ in the "nice" way, e.g., _" Allez, les pétasses, on passe à table... ",_ I would just say _girls_: _OK, girls, it's time to eat. Bimbo_ would not sound "cute" in this context.


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## dalester

plain oul' tramp


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## Graham Butler

In the U.K. 'tramp' is normally used for a person who sleeps rough, tramps the roads, usually a man.   It has a kind of old-fashioned and rustic and even romantic quality to my ears, evoking a kind of freedom e.g. "When I was a child you used to see a few tramps in the countryside but nowadays you're more likely to see fly-tippers."  (for 'sans-abri' I'd just say 'homeless')
A euphemism for tramp was 'a gentleman of the road'.

 To refer to a woman as a tramp has an American flavour to it.  I first heard it in the Sinatra song 'The Lady is a Tramp' and was puzzled as to what it could mean.
I suppose that when you start trying to translate a slang term you have to allow that the most appropriate version will vary according to which part of the Englsih speaking world you are in.  Even withiin a small radius you are likely to find variations.


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## Tresley

Hello,

Yes, I think that 'tramp' will not work in universal English because on this side of the Atlantic it just means 'someone who lives on the streets', 'someone who lives rough' etc. 'The lady is a tramp' made me feel sorry for her because she had no home!

I don't think that 'slag' would work as a good translation either.  It's too harsh!

Perhaps 'floosie' might work.  Someone who picks and chooses who she sleeps with.  Someone who is more selective than a 'slag'.

'Floosies' usually flirt with a lot of men, but they don't sleep with most of them.

'Slags' will sleep with anyone!

'Bimbos' have no brain and do whatever!

'Slappers' do any man they can get hold of!

'Slut' is too pejorative.

'Hot chick' or 'hot stuff' is too mild.

Perhaps 'floosie' might work.  Let's see what the Americans think about this as a universal English translation.


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## wildan1

Hi Tresley,

_floozie_ (we spell it with a "zee") is from the 1920s--your grandpa probably flirted with them!

(We call people who flirt with men but don't sleep with them _cockteasers_)



> 'Bimbos' have no brain and do whatever!


 
But when I hear _pétasse_, that's what comes to mind as well...


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## JazzByChas

Well...my AE ears have been pricked.

Therefore, my 2 cents. 

I have heard this same concept from a spanish friend of mine, who mentions the word "Penda" when she speaks to (female) friends or family members. ('Penda' has the same connotation as the word 'pétasse'.)

I would guess, as DearPrudence's father said below, that in familar company, but not polite company, when you say 'pétasse' it is not meant to be rude, demeaning or vulgar, but sort of a 'friendly jab.' Sort of like when I talk to my sons, and I call them "knuckleheads," meaning they think more with the glands than with their brains.

To quote comedian Andrew Dice Clay's famous rhyme:

_"Little Miss Muffett sat on a tuffett_
_Eating her curds and whey._
_Along came a spider and sat down beside her,_
_And said, "Ay! What's inna bowl, bitch?!"_

I'm sure the spider was not only not politically correct, but a bit "low class," a lot like American construction workers who ogle attractive women. It's not really acceptable, but everybody sort of understands the real intent:
"No harm...no foul"   



			
				Chère Prudence said:
			
		

> "'allez les pétasses, arrêtez de vous maquiller on passe à table'.
> So it would be more something like 'bimbos' or 'chicks' though I feel that 'bimbo' doesn't have exactly


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## dewsy

And here's my BE tuppence worth

Yesterday I bought the Mail on Sunday (a rare treat for me). They had a quote from Cecilia Sarkozy describing the women in her ex-husbands life as "des pétasses fardées". This had been translated as " a bunch of slappers"

As my best friend always says - if it's in the Mail, it must be true


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## Gourmay

As I am a frequent user of this word and am fairly young, French and American and living partly in the UK, I thought I would add my 2 cents!

I don't think we can come to a clear answer with definitions. In this case, what's more important is in what contexts these words are used. I've come across these enough times that I'd say they're the closest equivalent:

I'd say 'slag' and 'slapper' are closer to pétasse than all other words we've had so far. However, it just wouldn't sound the same in America. I think 'slag' is slightly closer.

In America, I'd use 'tart' as it's more common than 'hussy', 'floozy' etc and less 'violent' than 'bitch'. Personally, I generally imagine a 'pétasse' (in most uses of the word but not all of them) as having a lot of makeup and I've frequently heard people say 'tarting yourself up' before a night out, meaning applying a lot of makeup etc etc. This is why I would particularly put these two together.


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## williamc

Bonjour,

A painted floozie?

Now who the heck would want to be known as such.


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## JazzByChas

Well, again, as we often say in the forum, "context is everything."  Some men (of questionable upbringing) refer to females in general as "ho's"  Now, although this is not very valiant, and is, in fact boorish, in the context of the situation, the intent is a sort of "friendly" rudeness, perhaps?

_...(or am I stretching this a bit..?)_


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## RuK

Pétasse is not ever going to be a friendly kind of rudeness. To me it's a stupid, painted slag.


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## tapenade

Je viens de voir le film "Entre les murs" ("The Class") où le prof dit qu'une des ces éléves se conduit comme "une pétasse."  Dans les sous-titres en anglais on lit "skank" pour "pétasse."

  That surprises me because I consider the word "skank" to be both slang and passé.

   (Un bon film, d'ailleurs.)


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## Gourmay

'skank' serait un équivalent parfait en Angleterre où il est encore très utilisé!


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## wildan1

tapenade said:


> That surprises me because I consider the word "skank" to be both slang and passé.


 
_skank_ is indeed slang--so is _pétasse_

It is usually heard in its adjective form, _skanky_ -- and is far from passé where I live.


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## live_n

For "Allez les pétasses, on passe à table"
I'd say *tarts* would sound right in this context
"*Come on you (old) tarts, dinner's ready*"
pétasses here is girls who are probably joking around while putting their make-up on ready to go out 'all tarted up'.
"*Come on you slags*"
could also be girls joking around, but it's a little more crude, like "allez les salopes, on passe à table" would be


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

The subtitles of the recent film 'Entre les murs' translated it as 'skank'.


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## Keith Bradford

This disagreement over register reminds me of an occasion when I was addressing a group of detectives, and one of them referrred to a ten-year-old Bengali girl as a _tart_. I was horrified and took the word to be both sexist and racist, but the policemen all insisted it was normal usage where they came from.

I still don't know (20 years later) whether this was the truth about usage in some circles in Manchester at that time, or whether they were ganging up on me. I guess _pétasse_ is in the same state of flux at this moment. Translate as _tart_ but use at your peril?

_Slag_ and _skank_ would never pass my lips.


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## williamc

Bonjour,

In Manchester perhaps "tarts" might be known as "the local talent" which would offer no offence either given or received.  But this would be a long way from being called a "pétesse" and what that seems to suggest.


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## ikiru2

I was checking out this thread in connection with the film _Entre les murs_.  Before that I had not heard the word "pétasse."

I wasn't very familiar with the word "skank" either.  However, as one post pointed out, it is very current in Amerian kids' slang and so is "skanky." And I guess in the UK too. The people who write subtitles generally know what they're doing, so I trusted that "skank" was a good translation.  Though it's the teacher speaking, it makes sense for him to put down the girls using a word that young people use for put-downs.  But he wouldn't call them sluts or bitches, because that would be too sexual and too much getting down to their level.

The only other word I've seen here that could possibly fit in the context is "bimbo,"  but that's more an adult word and means more "airhead" so it's not as much a putdown as "skank."   

The English expressions such as "slapper" or "slag" don't mean anything in the US as far as I know and words like "wench" or "strumpet"  are useless to translate current usage.  

I would refer you to the "Urban Dictionary" where "skank" is defined as follows:

*Skank   

  Derogatory term for a (usually younger) female, implying trashiness or tackiness, lower-class status, poor hygiene, flakiness, and a scrawny, pockmarked sort of ugliness. May also imply promiscuity, but not necessarily. Can apply to any race, but most commonly used to describe white trash.

*That sounds right to me.

Of course pétasse could mean other things in other contexts; this is just right for the context of the teacher in Laurent Cantet's  _Entre les murs._


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

Oui, je suis tout à fait d'accord avec ikiru2.


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## JazzByChas

Yes, I would think 'skank' would be a good translation for it. It is in popular vogue here _aux Etats-Unis_. And it's generally referring to a 'slag' or a slut, or something as vulgar as that.

*



May also imply promiscuity,

Click to expand...

* 
I think, in its most common usage, _pétasse_ would come closer to something involving promiscuity.


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## JazzByChas

Now that I've had about three years to think about it, 'pétasse' is always a vulgar remark, like calling someone in english(A or B) a slut or a 'ho' (whore). It can be said among friends, but never in polite conversation, and never to a stranger. And I think it is much stronger than "wench" or "bimbo." I'm certain it implies promiscuity in French or English...


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## ikiru2

"I'm certain it implies promiscuity in French or English..."

I don't know what you mean by "it."  Pétasse obviously isn't used in English.  "Skank"?  That worked well in the English subtitles for 'Entre les murs,' but "skank" doesn't really require "promiscuity."  That's obviously "slut."  "Wench" is antique.  "Bimbo" means a goofy man crazy or boy crazy woman who wears tight dresses and a lot of makeup.  These words aren't interchangeable.  The urban dictionary defines "skank "as given below.  Note it says "may imply promiscuity, but not necessarily."  This is a detailed definition.  


Derogatory term for a (usually younger) female, implying trashiness or tackiness, lower-class status, poor hygiene, flakiness, and a scrawny, pockmarked sort of ugliness. May also imply promiscuity, but not necessarily. Can apply to any race, but most commonly used to describe white trash."

In the passage from the book 'Entre les murs,' which you'll find quoted here, the point is "pétasse" is insulting to the girls even to be mentioned in the context of it; what it means exactly may not really matter to anybody in the classroom.  It's just obviously not a word the teacher out to have brought out in class!


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## JazzByChas

ikuru2 said:
			
		

> JazzByChas said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _"i'm certain it implies promiscuity in french or english..."_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what you mean by "it."
> 
> 
> _"IT" = pétasse_
> 
> _Pétasse_ obviously isn't used in English. "skank"? That worked well in the English subtitles for _'Entre les Murs_,' but "skank" doesn't really require "promiscuity." that's obviously "slut." "wench" is antique. "bimbo" means a goofy man crazy or boy crazy woman who wears tight dresses and a lot of makeup. These words aren't interchangeable. The urban dictionary defines "skank "as given below. Note it says "may imply promiscuity, but not necessarily." this is a detailed definition.
> 
> _...which is why i don't think you could say "skank" to mean "pétasse." i think it is more like the wordreference definition, i.e. 'slut' or 'tart', i.e. very promiscuous women. You could, to use sort of an older word, call them "party-girls," which implies the same thing. Or, as has been mentioned, you could use 'floozy' which basically implies the same thing, but doesn't sound as mean. Or you may use, as geve said, a 'tramp,' which is "...a woman who sleeps around and lies..._
Click to expand...


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## All in One

Bitch gets my vote. It's just as mild as _pétasse_ and so overused, it's hard to really make it sound like an insult. It's also the most common way for teenage girls to insult each other 'nicely'.


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## emmsy

Just reading this, and can't help thinking of the word bint as an english equivelant, it is one of those words that depending on context and region can vary in intensity, even meaning - in some places its actually a compliment!


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## JazzByChas

À propos, m'oiselle, j'ai bien pigé le reference au vielle chanson, "The Lady is a Tramp"
Mais, en cette chanson, 'tramp' veut dire quelqu'une qui évite le cinéma; elle est bien sans chiqué.
Elle est nana normal, hein? 



			
				Geve said:
			
		

> This looks good!  I found this on the urban dictionary: _The difference between a tramp and a woman? A woman lies around and sleeps; a tramp sleeps around and lies.
> _
> That's why the lady is a tramp...



_Mon Dieu: c'etait il y a presque cinq ans.._.


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## ikiru2

I guess the subtitle writer for Entre les murs chose "skank" because it was more slangy and up-to-date than most of the other words people here have mentioned.  A lot of the time in subtitles the important thing is to use something that will work quickly in context as a word that functions similarly rather than an "exact" translation, if such a thing ever exists.  Maybe it is naive to say this, since it applies to most translation, really.  But after all, I'm only a "Junior Member."

Obviously in a contemporary classroom it is absurd to suggest putting the word "floozy" in anybody's mouth, and "slut" and "bitch" are not slang but standard, if derogatory, words.  Context is everything, not taking the word "skank" or the word "pétasse" by themselves and thinking of equivalents they _might _have under certain hypothetical conditions.  But I am lousy at translating, myself, and that's why I come here.

Despite what "tapenade" said earlier, "skank" is  _not _passé in US schools, apparently, nor is "slut."  "Bitch" wouldn't work because the teacher couldn't say "that sounds like what a bitch would say" or "you sound like a bitch when you talk like that." (Actually I think "slut" works in the film context better than "skank," but I'm not used to how people use "skank."  Nor would "bint" which anyway is a Britishism, so not useful for combined US and UK audiences.  I find if you type phrases with "skank" into Google you get phrases using "slut," so they must be very interchangeable.


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## Tresley

I was watching 'À Corde Tendue' on TV5 Monde earlier this evening. In this programme a man encouraged a woman to climb up to the top of a snow-covered mountain and then they eventually went into a log cabin. Once inside the cabin, after talking for a while, the man tried to kiss the woman on the spur of the moment. (I think he was falling in love with her, but she didn't have the same feelings). The woman was horrified at his advances and called him 'pétasse'! She ran away from him, out of the cabin and he eventually managed to calm her down, but only after she had said 'pétasse' to him several times. I was confused at the use of the word 'pétasse', because I thought it was only used to describe women of a certain ilk (floosies, scrubbers, skanks, etc). In my head, I immediately thought of the translation 'sleazeball' (I don't know why, but it seemed to fit the scenario). Then I thought of this thread from years ago! I just had to find this thread again to find out what others think of the use of the word 'pétasse' to describe a man. Also, what about my immediate mental translation of 'sleazeball'?


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## ikiru2

"Sleazeball" sounds good, or you can do a search of "What's the male equivalent of a 'skank'?" -- and the Urban Dictionary has "manskank" and "man-whore."  Also "douchebag" was suggested.   Or just "slut," which has been applied to males as well as females.  But in the context "douchebag" or "sleazeball" sound best.  After all Larousee defines pétasse as "prostituée," but in the heat of accusation "male whore" sounds clumsy and doesn't work well for a male sexual predator, so back to "sleazebag," "sleazeball" or "douchebag."  My favorite as an American is "douchebag" for this context.  "Get away from me, you douchebag!"


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## LART01

Tresley said:


> I was watching 'À Corde Tendue' on TV5 Monde earlier this evening. In this programme a man encouraged a woman to climb up to the top of a snow-covered mountain and then they eventually went into a log cabin. Once inside the cabin, after talking for a while, the man tried to kiss the woman on the spur of the moment. (I think he was falling in love with her, but she didn't have the same feelings). The woman was horrified at his advances and called him 'pétasse'! She ran away from him, out of the cabin and he eventually managed to calm her down, but only after she had said 'pétasse' to him several times. I was confused at the use of the word 'pétasse', because I thought it was only used to describe women of a certain ilk (floosies, scrubbers, skanks, etc). In my head, I immediately thought of the translation 'sleazeball' (I don't know why, but it seemed to fit the scenario). Then I thought of this thread from years ago! I just had to find this thread again to find out what others think of the use of the word 'pétasse' to describe a man. Also, what about my immediate mental translation of 'sleazeball'?



Hi
Never heard_ pétasse _to describe a man.

Pétard! would make more sense, here!
*pétard* /pe.taʁ/


Expression de surprise, d’étonnement, de stupéfaction ; putain.
_*Pétard !* C’est qu’il n’est pas mauvais en plus. ( Wikepedia)_


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## ikiru2

LART01 said:


> Hi
> Never heard_ pétasse _to describe a man.
> 
> Pétard! would make more sense, here!
> *pétard* /pe.taʁ/
> 
> 
> Expression de surprise, d’étonnement, de stupéfaction ; putain.
> _*Pétard !* C’est qu’il n’est pas mauvais en plus. ( Wikepedia)_


"Pétard" might seem better to you, but are you implying Tresley did not hear the word correctly on TV and it was "pétard" and not "pétasse"?   Actually "pétard" would not "make more sense, here," because in the story, the lady was not "surprised," but horrified and disgusted.  If you do an online search, you will find that "homme-pétasse" is a current concept/expression.  http://fluctuat.premiere.fr/Societe/News/L-homme-petasse-decrypte-1-3187072


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## LART01

Hi
Thanks for the link.
First time ever I hear or read_ homme-pétasse_. 
In my opinion, it is not that current....


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Salut,

Pétasse est une insulte, on est d'accord. Sachant qu'utiliser des insultes au féminin est un facteur encore plus "dénigrant" pour un homme, ça explique qu'on puisse entendre pétasse ou salope... pour un homme. Mais on ne peut pas dire que "pétasse !" pour un homme soit courant, non.
Quant à l'article de Maïa Mazaurette cité par ikiru2, c'est une initiative personnelle féministe et humoristique de son auteur. Il ne faut pas prendre son invention comme une réelle expression utilisée tous les jours.


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## Kajeetah

Honestly Lart01, who still says "pétard" today? Especially in such a situation? 
I never heard a man being called "pétasse" either.
I don't know the film but is it possible that the woman said "pétasse" about herself? As if she was ashamed and horrified in discovering something in her attitude might have misled the man about her feelings? Just a wild, far-fetched guess...


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## DearPrudence

Never heard of the "homme-pétasse" concept but even though, it doesn't seem to fit Tresley's situation either, as it seems to be about men who take care of their looks. "pétasse" is definitely _not _what would come to my mind in such a situation and if I had been on the receiving end, as a French person, I would have been completely baffled.


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## ikiru2

True, "homme-pétasse" as I cited it doesn't fit Tresley's situation, but it does show a use of the word in reference to males, though it's for guys who pretty themselves up to be sexy, not for sluttish men.  The context in Cantet's  film ENTRE LES MURS/THE CLASS is that the teacher loses his temper at some obstreperous female students and calls them the word in public, which is way out of line, and they take advantage of this and get him into trouble for it.  I don't think the girls use "pétasse" for themselves in a scene of the film, but I think it's implied that they do among themselves, and that's how the teacher fell into the error of using it for them himself. This is like "the N word"; African Americans can use it for themselves or among themselves, but if white people use it about them or to them, it's an offense.


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

Just two examples of how I have heard the word used in French :

1. Dans cette tenue, elle avait tout l'air d'une pétasse : In that outfit, she looked like a downright slut.

2. Cette pétasse a commencé à m'insulter : that stupid cow / stupid bitch started calling me names


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## mehoul

Petasse doesn't make sense in the context of the film. Tresley must have misheard. However, I cannot find a similar-sounding word that she could have said. The closest I found are "dégueulasse", "t'es naze", "tu te casses", nothing really close to pétasse.


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## LART01

Kajeetah said:


> Honestly Lart01, who still says "pétard" today? Especially in such a situation?
> I never heard a man being called "pétasse" either.
> I don't know the film but is it possible that the woman said "pétasse" about herself? As if she was ashamed and horrified in discovering something in her attitude might have misled the man about her feelings? Just a wild, far-fetched guess...



Hello
Je n'ai rien dit de tel...Je demandais simplement s'il était possible que le mot prononcé était_ pétard_, c'est tout...J'essaie de chercher avant de trouver...


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