# an animal used as an insult



## übermönch

Hello! I would like to make a list of animal names used metaphorical as insults in different languages. Help please!

*
Ape:*
Ukrainian: old bulky woman
Portugese: ugly (male)
German:[=monkey] dumb, insane, mad, crazy, drunk, raging

* Bat:*
English:[silly old bat] silly old woman

*Bear:*
Dutch: big, bulky male
English: big, bulky male
French: big, bulky male
German: big, bulky, hairy male
Turkish: rough, brutish

* Bedbug:*
Yiddish: intentionally irritating
*
Birds:*
Russian:[cormorant] loudmouth - talking too much
Greek:[nightingale] with a nice singing voice
Russian:[peacock] one who likes showing off their looks
Greek:[peacock] one who likes showing off their looks

* Camel:*
 Portugese: stupid, nasty man

*Cat:
*English: nasty/spiteful/malevolent/vindicative female
BR-Portugese: attractive female
German:[Kitty] pretty/attractive female
Greek: clever person* Cattle:*
Spanish:[cow] fat
Catalan:[cow]fat
 Dutch:[cow] fat woman, [stupid cow] stupid
German:[cow] fat woman, [stupid cow] supid woman
Turkish:[cow] a student who studies too much
Russian:[heifer] young lady/girl
Turkish:[ox] ignorant, narrowminded, cannot communicate
Turkish:[cattle] ignorant, narrowminded, cannot communicate
Russian:[bull] dumb muscled male
Greek:[bull] strong male
Catalan:[bull] strong male
Greek:[steer] stupid
*
Chicken:*
English: coward; young homosexual male
Spanish: coward
Catalan: coward
Turkish: someone who goes sleeping early at night
Portugese:[hen] overly protective mother
Portugese:[cock] proud, vane
Catalan:[diminutative of cock] proud, vane
Russian:[cock] homosexual male
*Creature:*
Russian: evil & egoistic
German: evil & egoistic
Turkish:[animal] uneducated, narrowminded, unable to communicate ; :!: terrible insult

* Deer:*
 Russian: dumb
*
Dogs:*

German:[pig-dog (hound for boarhunt)] ill-tempered, with bad manners
German:[rag-dog] evilPortugese:[male dog] nasty man
Portugese:[bitch] nasty woman
BR-Portugese:[bitch] immoral woman
Gujarati:[bitch] terrible insult
German:[bitch] sexually potent female, nasty female
Russian:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
English:[bitch] sexually potent female, nasty (female)
Spanish: [bitch] nasty
Catalan: [bitch] nasty
Turkish: smn. doing dirty business for smn. else; a fascist
 Catalan: lazy

* Donkey:*
Gujarati: stupid
Russian: stubbornly stupid 
German: stupid
French: stupid
Spanish: stupid
Catalan: stupid
Catalan:[Jenny] stupid
English:[Ass] stupid
US-English:[Jackass] stupid, incompetent male
Greek: inconsiderate, bad mannered

*Elephant:*
Greek: fat
* Fox:*
  Dutch: smart, sly
  Turkish: smart, sly
  German: smart, sly
  English: pretty, handsome
Catalan: sly
Spanish: sly 
Spanish:[vixen] nasty woman
*Hare:*
 Dutch:[fear-hare] coward
 German:[fear-hare] coward
*
Goats:*
Russian:mean, annoying
Turkish: stubborn
French: incompetent
Spanish: wife unfaithful; subjugated by his wife(?)
Greek: ugly woman
Catalan: crazy
Catalan: [buck] someone who's wife isn't faithful, nasty man
Catalan: [nanny] nasty woman
German: [nanny] nasty/spiteful/totalitarian/balky female
Russian: [nanny] annoying (old) (ugly) female
Portugese: [nanny] nasty/immoral female
*
Guinea Pig:*
 English:  volunteer for an experiment
 Spanish:  volunteer for an experiment
  Portugese:  volunteer for an experiment
 French: volunteer for an experiment
Catalan: volunteer for an experiment
* Horses:
*Turkish: tall, mighty female
English: male with a huge attribute,  ladies' man
French: male with a huge attribute,  ladies' man 
German:[mare?] fat female
German:[colt (Ross)] agressive idiot
German:[stallion] sexually potent male, a very inhuman bureaucrat
Portugese:[stallion] sexually potent male
Catalan:[stallion] sexually potent male
Spanish:[stallion] sexually potent male
 Dutch:[serve-stallion] sexually potent male
Russian:[gelding] stupid old man
*Hippopotamus:
*English: fat/ungainly (female)
Greek: fat

* Leech:
*English: exploiting
French: exploiting, someone who sucks you dry
Catalan: exploiting, someone who sucks you dry
Spanish: exploiting, someone who sucks you dry
Russian: obsequious, annoying, some you can't off that easily
Greek: Someone you can't get off that easily
*
Limpet:*
Catalan: someone you can't get of that easily

*Livestock:*
Russian: vile
German: brutish,  stubbornly dumb 

* Llama:*
  English: lame
  German: spitting frequently

* Monkey:*
English: playful
 Turkish: energic, playful
 French: trickySpanishretty
Turkish:[baboon] funny, comical
 German:[=ape] dumb, insane, mad, crazy, drunk, raging
*
Mouse:
*English: shy
German: primitive young lady
French: quiet

*Oyster:
*Greek: not telling any information; not opening up

* Pigs:
*Gujarati: not worth anything; :!: horrible swearing
Greek: bad mannered
French: bad mannered, large female
Dutch: someone with bad table manners
Turkish: someone with bad table manners, smn. with strong appetite
 English: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
German: perverted,  decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
 Russian: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic evil
Portugese: obscene, dirty
Spanish: obscene, dirty
Catalan: obscene, dirty
Yiddish: greedy, vile, evil, mean
Ukrainian: brutish, rough, uneducated
English: [swine] contemtable
Russian: [boar] decadant/brute male
*
Rat:*
Dutch: sneaky
German: treacherous, hideous
English: treacherous
Ukrainian: greedy, frugal, mean
French: greedy, frugal
Portugese: cunning
* Rabbit:
*German:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
Swedish:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
Dutch:[test-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
Russian:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
Slovak:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
English: with many children; often engaging in coitus
Greek:[rabbit doe] mother of many

*Rhinoceros:
*Gujarati: fat
German: idiot, stupid*
Sheep:*
Dutch: slow, stupid, silly
German: slow, stupid, silly
Turkish: with weak willpower
Spanish: with weak willpower
English: conformist
French: gentle
Spanish: [Black Sheep] different
Catalan: [Black Sheep] different

* Shrimp:*
English: weak male
French: weak, small
Catalan: with sun-burns

*Snake:
*Turkish: sly, sneaky, evil
English: sly, crafty
Russian: treacherous
Greek: with evil intentions, calculating

* Tick:*
Greek: Someone you can't get off that easily
Catalan: Someone you can't get off that easily


*Toad:*
English: repulsive

* Whale:*
Dutch: fat
English: fat
French: fat
Portugese: fat
Greek: fat (woman)

* Wolf:*
UK-English: a non-understood womanizer
Spanish: a womanizer

* Worm:
*Greek: bad; with low moral/ethics and using inferior ways


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## linguist786

We also use donkey in Gujarati (gadhero: ગધેડો) very often. 
We don't mean it in a terribly nasty way, but just kind of like "idiot!"
When saying it to females, we use the feminine form: gadheree

Also, when we want to offend a fat person, we usually either say "jaaryo" (fatso!) OR "gendo" (ગેંડો) which means rhinoceros!


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## Tresley

Congratulations Ubermonch - what a fantastic list you have compiled!

Here are some more to add to your list

*Cat* is used in English to mean a nasty, bitchy and vindictive woman.

*Snake* is used in English to mean someone who is sly or crafty.

*Stallion* is used in English to mean a male sex god!

*Ass* is used in English to mean a stupid person

*Shrimp *is used in English to mean a weak man

There must be more, but I can't think of any at the moment.


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## Laria

Hello hello!

In Mexico we use the following:

*Donkey*: stupid/dumb person

*Rat*: petty thief

*Butterfly* : effeminate

*Snake*: someone who is always checking people out


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## optimistique

In Dutch we also have the expression "*fear-hare*" (angsthaas) for a cowardly person.

Among others we have expressions like:

*Goat *(geit): for a girl/woman that talks way too much and and only talks nonsense.

*Sheep* (schaap): for a slow, silly, stupid person

*Rat *(rat): for a sneaky, underhand person

*Cow *(koe) (appears mostly as 'stupid cow' or with similar adjectives):

stupid, (not necessarily, but mostly) fat woman

*Pig* (varken): a person that has no manners while eating, someone who eats as a pig

*Stallion : serve-stallion *(dekhengst): if I've translated it well, then the word says it all: the sexually very active and potent male

*Whale* (walvis): for a fat person

*Fox *(vos): a clever, sly person: a sly fox

*Bear *(beer)*: *a very big, bulky man


And one I remember in English: *

Bat*: a (silly) old bat : a silly, stupid old woman


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## übermönch

thanks everybody. I'm thinking about uploading it to Wikipedia, but haven't found a fitting name yet. And there are some things i've found by asking random people in physical sorroundings.

a Leech is someone who seeks profit at other's cost in English, and someone who sucks up to more powerful ones in Russian.
a Mouse in German is used deragatory for a (primitive) young lady/girl.
a (tamed) Donkey is used in several eastern turkic languages for someone mean and just as a common insult without reference to any characteristics.

In yiddish
a bedbug is someone who intentionally irritates othes
a pig is someone evil, vile, mean and greedy

In ukrainian
a pig is someone butish, rough and uneducated
a rat (or is patsyuk "vole"?) is someone mean and greedy
an ape ("shkapa") is a brutish granny/old woman

The list will soon be updated. 

@Laria
Do the insults differ in different hispanophone countries?

@Tresley
Is _stallion _actually an insult in English? In German it is used solely to insult men who think about sex too much, while in Russian it's used aswell, only for flattering purposes, however. & _shrimp_, is it only applied to men?

@linguist786
I've got a list of Gujarati swearings and it lists "Sewwer", "pig", when is it used? There also "Kutri", "Kutri na petna" and "Kutri no chokr(oo/ee)", so is Kutri used it the same context as it's English translation?

@optimistique
is geit a she-goat? or any goat? & "varken", is it just general pig of any genus? Is vos an insult?


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## ukuca

In Turkish:
- chicken : person who sleeps too early at night
- dog: someone who does somebody else's dirty businesses (also used for fachistes)
- fox: a clever, sly person
- bear: someone who does (or say) things roughly
- goat: a stubborn person
- sheep: someone who can't decide by himself
- pig: someone who eats too much (a person that has no manners while eating)
- cow: we say "cow" for students who study too much
- snake: a sly, sneaky evil person
- horse: a tall and mighty woman

These are some exemples which I thought at this moment, but I know that there are tons of them in Turkish.


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## sound shift

If I am not mistaken, the Spanish word for *male goat*, "cabrón", also means a complaisant husband, a man who always gives in to his wife.


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## la reine victoria

We use "*wolf*" in the UK to describe a man who gives unwanted sexual attention to a woman.

A "*wolf in sheep's clothing*" - someone who appears to be meek and mild but is, in fact, full of evil intentions.

A "*snake in the grass*" for someone who pretends to be your friend and then deliberately betrays you.

A *toad *for a repulsive person.

A *jackass* (USA) for a stupid, incompetent man.

*Swine* - someone who behaves really badly towards others. (Used in the singular - you swine!)

*Hippo*(potamus) - someone who is very fat and ungainly, usually applied to women.




LRV




LRV


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## Whodunit

In German, you can use any animal to insult someone. 



			
				übermönch said:
			
		

> *Rhinoceros:*
> Gujarati: fat
> German: idiot; stupid
> 
> *Ape:*
> Ukrainian: old bulky woman
> German: idiot; crazy, insane
> 
> *Donkey:*
> Gujarati: stupid
> Russian: stubbornly stupid
> German: stupid
> English:[ass] stupid
> 
> *Cat/Kitten (?):*
> English: nasty/spiteful/malevolent/vindicative female
> German: (Kätzchen) sexy female
> 
> *Dogs:*
> German:[pig-dog (hound for boarhunt)] ill-tempered, with bad manners
> German:[rag-dog] evil
> German:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean female don't know of this usuage
> Russian:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> English:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> 
> *Goats:*
> Russian: mean, annoying
> German:[she-goat] nasty/spiteful/totalitarian/balky female
> Russian:[she-goat] annoying (old) (ugly) female
> 
> *Sheep:*
> Dutch: slow, stupid, silly
> German: the same
> 
> *Cattle:*
> Dutch:[cow] fat woman, [stupid cow] stupid
> German: the same
> 
> *Pigs:*
> Dutch: someone with bad table manners
> English: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> German: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> Russian: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic evil
> Yiddish: greedy, vile, evil, mean
> Ukrainian: brutish, rough, uneducated
> English: [swine] contemtable
> Russian: [boar] decadant/brute male
> 
> *Horses:*
> German:[stallion] sexually potent male, a very inhuman bureaucrat, a fat woman
> Dutch:[serve-stallion] sexually potent male
> Russian:[gelding] stupid old man
> 
> *Rat:*
> Dutch: sneaky
> German: treacherous, hideous
> English: treacherous
> Ukrainian: mean, greedy
> 
> *Mouse:*
> English: shy
> German: primitive young lady
> 
> *Chicken:*
> English: coward
> 
> *Guinea Pig:*
> English: volunteer for an experiment
> Spanish: volunteer for an experiment
> Portugese: volunteer for an experiment
> 
> *Rabbit/Bunny (?):*
> German:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment (Bunny: hot female)
> Swedish:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Dutch:[test-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Russian:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Slovak:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> 
> *Hare:*
> Dutch:[fear-hare] coward
> German:[fear-hare] coward
> 
> *Bat:*
> English:[silly old bat] silly old woman
> 
> *Fox:*
> Dutch: smart, sly
> German: the same
> 
> *Bear:*
> Dutch: big, bulky male
> German: the same, often referred to very hairy men
> 
> *Llama:*
> English: lame
> German: person who spits
> 
> *Whale:*
> Dutch: fat
> 
> *Bedbug:*
> Yiddish: intentionally irritating
> 
> *Shrimp:*
> English: a weak male
> 
> *Leech:*
> English: exploiting
> Russian: obsequious
> 
> *Livestock:*
> Russian: vile
> German: brutish, stubbornly dumb
> 
> *Creature:*
> Russian: evil & egoistic
> German: the same


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## badgrammar

ukuca said:
			
		

> In Turkish:
> [...]


You forgot "aptal" - monkey. 

I learned in another thread that it can mean "idiot", which surprised me because in French the monkey is "malin" or smart and tricky, so quite the opposite. 

Monkey in English is more of a person who clowns around a lot.


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## sound shift

In a book I read about the Spanish Civil War, "Black Beetles" was used as a pejorative term for Catholic priests. I don't know what the original Spanish was, or if the term still exists.


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## ukuca

I've never heard "maymun" (monkey) to say "aptal" (stupid) to someone. When we say "maymun" to somebody we mean that he very energetic or sometimes we mean that me makes comic faces like monkeys do (for exp: like Jim Carry)


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## diamania

optimistique said:
			
		

> In Dutch we also have the expression "*fear-hare*" (angsthaas) for a cowardly person.
> 
> Among others we have expressions like:
> 
> *Goat *(geit): for a girl/woman that talks way too much and and only talks nonsense.
> 
> *Sheep* (schaap): for a slow, silly, stupid person
> 
> *Rat *(rat): for a sneaky, underhand person
> 
> *Cow *(koe) (appears mostly as 'stupid cow' or with similar adjectives):
> 
> stupid, (not necessarily, but mostly) fat woman
> 
> *Pig* (varken): a person that has no manners while eating, someone who eats as a pig
> 
> *Stallion : serve-stallion *(dekhengst): if I've translated it well, then the word says it all: the sexually very active and potent male
> 
> *Whale* (walvis): for a fat person
> 
> *Fox *(vos): a clever, sly person: a sly fox
> 
> *Bear *(beer)*: *a very big, bulky man
> 
> 
> And one I remember in English: *
> 
> Bat*: a (silly) old bat : a silly, stupid old woman



I know one more:
Hondelul


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## ukuca

When we say "şebek" (baboon) to a person (or about him/her), which is a species of monkey, we mean that he is very cute and funny. Like a monkey


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## badgrammar

übermönch said:
			
		

> Hello! I would like to make a list of animal names used metaphorical as insults in different languages. Help please!
> *
> Rhinoceros:
> *Gujarati: fat
> French: Something sexual, I think
> *
> Ape:
> *Ukrainian: old bulky woman
> English: A big, stupid man
> *
> Donkey:*
> Gujarati: stupid
> Russian: stubbornly stupid
> German: stupid
> English:[ass] stupid
> French: Stupid
> *
> Cat:
> *English: nasty/spiteful/malevolent/vindicative female
> *
> Dogs:*
> German:[pig-dog (hound for boarhunt)] ill-tempered, with bad manners
> German:[rag-dog] evil
> German:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean female
> Russian:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> English:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> *
> Goats:*
> Russian: mean, annoying
> German:[she-goat] nasty/spiteful/totalitarian/balky female
> Russian:[she-goat] annoying (old) (ugly) female
> English: Stubborn
> French: Someone who is incompetent
> *
> Sheep:*
> Dutch: slow, stupid, silly
> English: conformist, someone who follows the flock
> French: Someone who is gentle
> *
> Cattle:*
> Dutch:[cow] fat woman, [stupid cow] stupid
> *
> Pigs:*
> Dutch: someone with bad table manners
> English: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> German: perverted,  decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> Russian: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic evil
> Yiddish: greedy, vile, evil, mean
> Ukrainian: brutish, rough, uneducated
> English: [swine] contemtable
> Russian: [boar] decadant/brute male
> French: A large woman, someone with no manners
> *
> Horses:*
> German:[stallion] sexually potent male, a very inhuman bureaucrat
> Dutch:[serve-stallion] sexually potent male
> Russian:[gelding] stupid old man*
> English: A man with a large attribute ; a ladies' man
> French: Same as above.
> 
> Rat:*
> Dutch: sneaky
> German: treacherous, hideous
> English: treacherous
> Ukrainian: mean, greedy
> English: A traitor, sneaky, greedy, dirty
> French: A tightwad/penny pincher/overly frugal
> *
> Mouse:
> *English: shy
> German: primitive young lady*
> French: Quiet
> 
> Chicken:*
> English: coward; a young homosexual male
> *
> Guinea Pig:*
> English:  volunteer for an experiment
> Spanish:  volunteer for an experiment
> Portugese:  volunteer for an experiment
> French:  Volunteer for an experiement
> *
> Rabbit:
> *German:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Swedish:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Dutch:[test-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Russian:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Slovak:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> English: Someone who has sex a lot  and/or has a lot of kids
> 
> *Hare:*
> Dutch:[fear-hare] coward
> German:[fear-hare] coward
> English: ?
> French: ?
> 
> * Bat:*
> English:[silly old bat] silly old woman
> 
> * Fox:*
> Dutch: smart, sly
> English: A pretty girl/handsome boy
> 
> * Bear:*
> Dutch: big, bulky male
> English: Big, bulky male
> French: Big, bulky male
> 
> * Llama:*
> English: lame
> 
> * Whale:*
> Dutch: fat
> English: Fat
> French: Fat
> 
> * Bedbug:*
> Yiddish: intentionally irritating
> 
> * Shrimp:*
> English: a weak male
> French: A small person, weak person
> 
> * Leech:
> *English: exploiting
> Russian: obsequious
> French: exploiter, someone who sucks you dry!
> 
> *Lifestock:*
> Russian: vile
> German: brutish,  stubbornly dumb
> *
> Creature:*
> Russian: evil & egoistic


----------



## badgrammar

übermönch said:
			
		

> Hello! I would like to make a list of animal names used metaphorical as insults in different languages. Help please!
> *
> Rhinoceros:
> *Gujarati: fat
> French: Something sexual, I think
> *
> Ape:
> *Ukrainian: old bulky woman
> English: A big, stupid man
> *
> Donkey:*
> Gujarati: stupid
> Russian: stubbornly stupid
> German: stupid
> English:[ass] stupid
> French: Stupid
> *
> Cat:
> *English: nasty/spiteful/malevolent/vindicative female
> *
> Dogs:*
> German:[pig-dog (hound for boarhunt)] ill-tempered, with bad manners
> German:[rag-dog] evil
> German:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean female
> Russian:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> English:[bitch] sexually potent female, mean (female)
> *
> Goats:*
> Russian: mean, annoying
> German:[she-goat] nasty/spiteful/totalitarian/balky female
> Russian:[she-goat] annoying (old) (ugly) female
> English: Stubborn
> French: Someone who is incompetent
> *
> Sheep:*
> Dutch: slow, stupid, silly
> English: conformist, someone who follows the flock
> French: Someone who is gentle
> *
> Cattle:*
> Dutch:[cow] fat woman, [stupid cow] stupid
> *
> Pigs:*
> Dutch: someone with bad table manners
> English: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> German: perverted,  decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic
> Russian: perverted, decadant, obscene, dirty, chaotic evil
> Yiddish: greedy, vile, evil, mean
> Ukrainian: brutish, rough, uneducated
> English: [swine] contemtable
> Russian: [boar] decadant/brute male
> French: A large woman, someone with no manners
> *
> Horses:*
> German:[stallion] sexually potent male, a very inhuman bureaucrat
> Dutch:[serve-stallion] sexually potent male
> Russian:[gelding] stupid old man*
> English: A man with a large attribute ; a ladies' man
> French: Same as above.
> 
> Rat:*
> Dutch: sneaky
> German: treacherous, hideous
> English: treacherous
> Ukrainian: mean, greedy
> English: A traitor, sneaky, greedy, dirty
> French: A tightwad/penny pincher/overly frugal
> *
> Mouse:
> *English: shy
> German: primitive young lady*
> French: Quiet
> 
> Chicken:*
> English: coward; a young homosexual male
> *
> Guinea Pig:*
> English:  volunteer for an experiment
> Spanish:  volunteer for an experiment
> Portugese:  volunteer for an experiment
> French:  Volunteer for an experiement
> *
> Rabbit:
> *German:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Swedish:[experiment-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Dutch:[test-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Russian:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> Slovak:[experimental rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment
> English: Someone who has sex a lot  and/or has a lot of kids
> 
> *Hare:*
> Dutch:[fear-hare] coward
> German:[fear-hare] coward
> English: ?
> French: ?
> 
> * Bat:*
> English:[silly old bat] silly old woman
> 
> * Fox:*
> Dutch: smart, sly
> English: A pretty girl/handsome boy
> 
> * Bear:*
> Dutch: big, bulky male
> English: Big, bulky male
> French: Big, bulky male
> 
> * Llama:*
> English: lame
> 
> * Whale:*
> Dutch: fat
> English: Fat
> French: Fat
> 
> * Bedbug:*
> Yiddish: intentionally irritating
> 
> * Shrimp:*
> English: a weak male
> French: A small person, weak person
> 
> * Leech:
> *English: exploiting
> Russian: obsequious
> French: exploiter, someone who sucks you dry!
> 
> *Lifestock:*
> Russian: vile
> German: brutish,  stubbornly dumb
> *
> Creature:*
> Russian: evil & egoistic


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## ukuca

In Turkish, I guess "öküz" (ox) and "sığır" (cattle) or even saying "hayvan" (means animal) are the most offensive ones between these insults. Meaning ignorant, uneducated person who doesn't understand and unable to communicate. Don't try them on others or prepare to fight


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## Outsider

In Portuguese:

*Ape:
*ugly (usually a man)
*Donkey:*
stupid, dumb
*Cat:
*attractive (Brazilian Portuguese)
*Dogs:*
[male dog]: nasty man
[bitch]: nasty or immoral woman (the latter in Brazilian Portuguese)
*Goats:*
[female goat]: nasty or immoral woman
*Pig:*
dirty or obscene
*Horses:*
[stallion]: sexually potent male
*Rat:*
cunning
*Chicken:*
female: overly protective mother
There are some idioms where "cock" is used as a metaphor for "proud" or "vane".
*Guinea Pig:*
Portugese:  volunteer for an experiment 
* Whale:*
fat
*Cow:*
ugly, nasty or immoral woman
*Bull:*
We have the phrase "Healthy like a bull".
*Camel:*
Stupid or nasty man.
*Horn or horny:*
Man whose wife is unfaithful to him. (In Portugal)


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## linguist786

übermönch said:
			
		

> @linguist786
> I've got a list of Gujarati swearings and it lists "Sewwer", "pig", when is it used? There also "Kutri", "Kutri na petna" and "Kutri no chokr(oo/ee)", so is Kutri used it the same context as it's English translation?


haha!! Well let me tell you:-

"*Suwwar*" (pig) is a really really bad-sounding term. Children never use it! It is used _by_ adults _to_ children when they are _really_ angry. (But it's a really horrible thing to say!) It's almost like that child is not worth anything.
Obviously you can use it "normally" when talking about pigs too. (But it's kind of clear when you're using it as an insult!)

Aïe aïe aïe! Where are you getting these from lol?? They are so bad!

"*Kutri*" means  bitch  (literally). 
"*Kutri na petna*" means (literally) "Of a bitch's stomach  (so basically, "you're from a bitch's stomach", kind of thing) It's used towards males obviously 
"*Kutri no chokro*" literally means  Son of a bitch  
"*Kutri nee chokree*" literally means  Daughter of a bitch  

Hope that helps.


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## cyanista

Some Russian slang 

бык (bull) - a stubborn aggressive man with lots of muscles and a miniscule brain
тёлка (heifer)- _pejorative_ young girl (already outdated)
петух (cock)- _pejorative_ gay
баклан (cormorant) - someone who talks too much, blabbermouth
олень (deer) - a dumb person


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## badgrammar

ukuca said:
			
		

> I've never heard "maymun" (monkey) to say "aptal" (stupid) to someone. When we say "maymun" to somebody we mean that he very energetic or sometimes we mean that me makes comic faces like monkeys do (for exp: like Jim Carry)



Sorry, maybe my mistake, I thought aptal means monkey, and I read in the thread "He's an idiot" someone had written "o bir aptal"...  I must have gotten it wrong, then?


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## skatoulitsa

For greek, some that come to mind...

Donkey (Γαϊδούρι): inconsiderate, bad mannered person
Pig (Γουρούνι): same as above / unrefined
Whale (Φάλαινα): fat (usually for women)
Hippopotamus (Ιπποπόταμος): fat
Elephant (Ελέφαντας): fat
Snake (Φίδι): a calculating, bad-intended person
Steer (castrated bull) (Βόδι): stupid
Bull (Ταύρος): strong man
Cat (Γάτα): clever person
Worm (Σκουλίκι): bad person, with "low" and inferior ways
Goat (Κατσίκα): ugly unrefined woman
Oyster (Στρείδι): person who doesn't open up, withholding information
Tick (Τσιμπούρι): someone who "sticks" to you, not easy to get rid of
Leech (Βδέλλα): same as above
Nightingale (Αηδόνι): someone with a nice singing voice
Rabbit (female) (Κουνέλα): a woman with many babies
Peacock (Παγώνι): one who likes showing off their looks


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## optimistique

übermönch said:
			
		

> @optimistique
> is geit a she-goat? or any goat? & "varken", is it just general pig of any genus? Is vos an insult?



Isn't a goat always a female? In Dutch 'geit' is. A male-goat is a '*bok*'.
'Varken' is just a general pig, you can use '*zwijn*' (swine) as well, but it also means 'asshole', the insult for a male person.

The adjectival 'honden-' can be used as well in for example: *hondenweer *(bad weather, litt: dogs' weather).

_Vos, beer & dekhengst_ are no insults. 'Vos' is not that negative I think, 'Beer' is really descriptive, more positively used than negatively in my opinion. And 'dekhengst' is not really an insult either. I don't think most men mind very much that they are called sexually potent and active.


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## übermönch

Updated!

@optimistique
Just looked'em up, a goat is usually male, the correct English term for a _female goat  _is a _nanny.

_@cyanista
does the byelorusian term for a rabbit (трус/трусяня?) also mean "coward"?

@linguist768
so kutri is _just _a female dog?

@skatoulitsa
katsyka is feminine, right?


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## skatoulitsa

übermönch said:
			
		

> @skatoulitsa
> katsyka is feminine, right?



Yes it is feminine.


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## cyanista

übermönch said:
			
		

> @cyanista
> does the byelorusian term for a rabbit (трус/трусяня?) also mean "coward"?


Nope.

Coward is "баязлівец" in Belarusian.
In the Soviet times трус was occasionally used for "coward" - the language was littered with unnecessary Russian loanwords. But even then it wasn't interlinked with the Belarussian трус - rabbit.

трусяня is крольчонок (a baby rabbit) and I could only imagine it used as a jokular address to a little child.


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## linguist786

übermönch said:
			
		

> @linguist768
> so kutri is _just _a female dog?


Yes (although I must say it does sound rather bad!)


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## betulina

Some in Catalan and Spanish:
*
Monkey:
*Spanish: pretty

* Donkey:*
Catalan: stupid; (female donkey) stubborn
Spanish: stupid
*
Dogs:*
Catalan: (male) lazy; (female) nasty
Spanish: (female) nasty
*
Goats:*
Catalan: crazy; (only male) a man whose wife is unfaithful to him / nasty man / nasty woman (with the suffix -a)
Spanish: male subjugated by his wife (I have never heard it, but rather a man whose wife is unfaithful to him) / nasty man / nasty woman (with suffix -a)

*Sheep:*
Catalan & Spanish: [black sheep] the different one from all the rest, usually pejorative
*
Cattle:*
Catalan: (cow) fat
Spanish (cow) fat; (bull) strong male

*Pigs:
*Catalan & Spanish: obscene, dirty
*
Horses:
*Catalan & Spanish: (stallion) sexually potent male
*
Rat:*
Catalan: mean, stingy
*
Chicken:*
Catalan: (hen) coward
Spanish: (hen) coward; (diminutive of cock) proud, vane

*Guinea Pig:*
Catalan:  volunteer for an experiment

*Fox:*
Catalan: sly
Spanish: (male) sly; (female) nasty woman

*Shrimp / Prawn??*
Catalan: sun-burned person

* Tick:*
Catalan: Someone you can't get off that easily

*Limpet**:
*Spanish: Someone you can't get off that easily

*Leech:
*Catalan & Spanish: exploiting, someone who sucks you dry


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## übermönch

list on page 1 updated and alphabetized


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## badgrammar

Oh, gosh, now that you've done them, I see some changes that would be good to make! I didn't see weasel, fouine, there are many many more in French and English alone.  Great thread.


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## chuff

In Romanian:
I can only think of one

Cow -* vacă*


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## ahalbleib

english: 
weasel - scheming and untrustworthy person 
jackal - backstabber
vulture - someone profiting from suffering
buck - virile young male
mule - stubborn
shark - ruthless and cunning - related to business'
bull - strong sexually potent male
tomcat - good with women


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## Medune

More in Portuguese:
*Besta*, beast: stupid, uncomely or philistine 
*Besta quadrada*, squared beast: same as beast.
*Bicho-do-mato, *creature of the woods: taciturn, philistine, ill-mannered 
*Baleia*, whale: fat
*Hipopótamo*, hippo: fat
*Elefante*, elephant: fat
*Girafa*, giraffe: too tall
*Garça, *egret : slender and clumsy 
*Gato/a, *cat: attractive
*Castor,* beaver: so. with big teeth
*Cavalo, *horse: Ill-mannered, coarse, brash
*Alazão,* stallion: viril. _(male)_
*Burro*, donkey: stupid, dumb.
*Lesma*, slug:  mostly cognitively, but also physically inept or slow, sluggish, listless
*Urubu*, vulture: profiteer, 
*Parasita*, parasite: sycophant, unimportant
*Ratazana,* rat: sneaky
*Víbora/Naja/Jararaca*, viper/naja/jararaca:treacherous (female)
*Escorpião, *scorpion: (male)
*Galinha*, chicken: sexually immoral, adulterous (both male and female)
*Piranha*: almost the same as _galinha (female)_
*Raposa*, fox: crafty, cunning
*Cadela*, bitch*: *almost the same as _vaca(female)_
*Vaca*, cow: equivalent to english bitch. _(female)_
*Vaquinha de presepio, *lit. cow of nativity scene??.
*Porco*, pig: filthy, anti-hygienic, immoral.
*Espírito de porco*, spirit of pig: vicious or immoral.
*Abelhudo: *bee-like: nosy (childish vocabulary)
*Rato de...*, ...rat: inveterate ex: rato de biblioteca lit. library mouse (=book-worm)


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## Messquito

In Taiwanese Chinese:
*Chicken* 雞: female sex worker
*Dog* 狗: cheap, basic, lowly
*Pig* 豬: stupid/lazy
*T-Rux* 恐龍: ugly(恐龍妹)/cruel, having no heart(恐龍法官)
*Fox* 狐狸: sly
*Worm* 蟲: lazy
*Snake* 蛇: greedy


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## ThomasK

Some additions, ...: 





übermönch said:


> *Ape:*
> Dutch: someone who cannot control himself, disturbing therefore
> * Rabbit:*
> Dutch:[test-rabbit]: volunteer for an experiment [*proefkonijn*]
> *Sheep:*
> Dutch: slow, stupid, silly --- causing pity, without personality (like a member of a herd)


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## apmoy70

skatoulitsa said:


> For greek, some that come to mind...
> 
> Donkey (Γαϊδούρι): inconsiderate, bad mannered person
> Pig (Γουρούνι): same as above / unrefined
> Whale (Φάλαινα): fat (usually for women)
> Hippopotamus (Ιπποπόταμος): fat
> Elephant (Ελέφαντας): fat
> Snake (Φίδι): a calculating, bad-intended person
> Steer (castrated bull) (Βόδι): stupid
> Bull (Ταύρος): strong man
> Cat (Γάτα): clever person
> Worm (Σκουλίκι): bad person, with "low" and inferior ways
> Goat (Κατσίκα): ugly unrefined woman
> Oyster (Στρείδι): person who doesn't open up, withholding information
> Tick (Τσιμπούρι): someone who "sticks" to you, not easy to get rid of
> Leech (Βδέλλα): same as above
> Nightingale (Αηδόνι): someone with a nice singing voice
> Rabbit (female) (Κουνέλα): a woman with many babies
> Peacock (Παγώνι): one who likes showing off their looks


Some additions:

Elephant (Ελέφαντας): Person with superhuman memory
Fox (Αλεπού): Deceptive, crafty, sly person
Υoung sheep (Αρνί): Innocent, naive person
Black sheep (Μαύρο πρόβατο): Outcast
Vulture (Όρνιο): Idiot, cretinous
Female turtledove (Τρυγόνα): Beautiful woman


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## Messquito

*Duck*:
Chinese: 鴨子 (noisy)
French: canard (too quiet--> cat got your tongue?) (mainly in southern France)


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## Sardokan1.0

Some in Sardinian :

*Àinu *(Donkey) *Molente *(Donkey used to operate a mill - "Mola" in Latin) - *Àinu Molente *- very stupid person
*Craba *(Goat) - very ignorant person
*Cane *(Dog) - strict or inflexible person
*Feu que cane* (ugly as a dog) - ugly looking person
*Tàccula *(black bird similar to a crow) - gossipy or noisy woman
*Grodde *(Fox) - clever person
*Monìnca *(Monkey) - stupid, frivolous, superficial woman
*Istrìa *(Owl) - evil woman
*Solde *(Worm, maggot) - insignificant person
*Colóra *(Snake) *Tiligherta *(Lizard) - slimy or untrustworthy woman
*Lépere *(Hare) - lively or sharp person
*Porcu *(Pork) - dirty person
*Porc'abru* (Wild Boar) - wild or brusque person
*Berre *(Male Boar) - very fat man
*Coccóide* (Slug) - shy person
*Unturzu *(Vulture) - glutton person
*Dindu *(Male Turkey) - stupid man, idiot
*Muscone *(Big Fly) - annoying man (expecially trying to seduce women)


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## Nawaq

Alright, I'll try for *French, *I'm probably going to repeat some of the OP's... *:
*
Fox: "rusé(e) comme un renard", cunning like a fox, a strategic person, clever, mostly positive
Whale (already in the OP): "gros(se) comme une baleine", fat
Leech: "une vraie sangsue celle-là...", I generally know this to mean somene that is clingy, not always someone that "sucks you dry", but it can.
Pigs: cochon, cochonne "ill-mannered, dirty, vulgar, obscene, salascious", porc (same meaning), truie (only for women) "ill-mannered, dirty"
Lamb: "doux comme un agneau", gentle, kind, innocent
Sheep: "ce type c'est un vrai mouton", someone that follow others, the opposite of a leader, also in a calque of English, mouton noir 'black sheep"
Donkey: "têtu(e) comme un âne", stubborn, but there's also the expression "bonnet d'âne", a kind of hat that people put on ignorant children in school
Ewe: "brebis galeuse" , in the same sense as "black sheep"
Buck: "bouc-émissaire", scapegoat
Duck: "le vilain petit canard", ugly duckling
Louse: "être laid comme un pou", ugly like a louse
Lynx: "avoir des yeux de lynx", have a very good eyesight
Rabbit: "un chaud lapin", a Don Juan
Cow: can simply be a very big woman, but she got more points if she's also a real nasty person
Magpie: nosy woman, talkative, curious
Jackal: having a bad breath "une haleine de chacal"
Pony: bad breath too "une haleine de poney"

There must be tons of others...


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

вол - ox: stupid, insensitive man; jerk
крава - cow: stupid, annoying woman, especially older
свиња - pig, sow: a fat person; a pathetic, disgusting person; a person who doesn't practice proper hygiene and is messy
прасе - piglet: a person who doesn't practice proper hygiene and is messy (milder than the above, sometimes even cute)
гуска - goose: stupid woman who doesn't know what she's doing and irritates others with her incompetence
магаре/магарица - donkey/jenny: an adult person behaving childishly
коза - goat: stupid or obnoxious woman
овца - sheep: innocent, naive person
мајмун - monkey, ape: stupid person; a person with wild, graceless movements (there's also the phrase "рипа ко мајмун", lit. "jump like a monkey", to describe someone who moves excessively, e.g. due to extreme excitement)
чавка - crow: a gossipy woman, especially elderly
кокошка - chicken: a stupid, gossipy or unkempt woman
лисица - fox: a cunning, sly person, especially a woman
стока - cattle: stupid, annoying, disgusting person
скот - bovine, cattle: insensitive, worthless man; bastard; jerk
риба - fish: sexually attractive girl (like "chick" or "babe" in English)
кучка - bitch: same as in English
маче - kitten: a term of affection used by young girls to address each other, a girl might also use it for her boyfriend
пиле - chick: a term of affection addressed to children and sometimes young people in general
гнида - nit: a worthless, pathetic person; an morally reprehensible person
бубаче - little bug: a quiet, timid person who's afraid to speak up for himself
слон - elephant: a person who walks with a heavy tread and is likely to knock things over
ѕвер - beast: a cool, awesome guy (in the slang of the youth)


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## DaylightDelight

Japanese:  Some are particular to Japanese, some are common with western cultures.
I believe there are great deal of influence from Aesop's fables (they are very popular in Japan).

きつね [kitsune] Fox: sly (often applied to female)
たぬき [tanuki] Raccoon: sly (but generally not as clever as fox, often applied to male)
いぬ [inu] Dog: toadyish/bootlicking
ねこ [neko] Cat: selfish
ぶた [buta] Pig: fat, greedy, ugly
うし [ushi] Cow: (physically) slow, fat, too big breasted
こうもり [komori] Bat: indecisive, untrustworthy (obviously from an Aesop's fable)
さる [saru] Monkey: primitive, unsophisticated, dumb, not-handsome
ゴリラ [gorira] Gorilla: similar to monkey. also bonehead, muscle for brains
にわとり [niwatori] Chicken: stupid (esp. with poor memory)

This is as far as I can remember right off the top of my head.  There must be much more...


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## 810senior

123xyz said:


> ѕвер - beast: a cool, awesome guy (in the slang of the youth)



I have found that this word in Japanese, 獣_kemono _or _kedamono_, means a perverted guy who has hunger for getting some, definitely contrary to Macedonian...


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## smart-alek

I do not see "*skunk*" anywhere in the original list, nor in any of the responses so far (tho I admit to just skimming some of the latter).

Cambridge dictionary defines it as an "unpleasant person."
The Oxford dictionary on line says it is a "contemptible person."


----------



## anahiseri

*dog*
Spanish, a lazy man


----------



## Agró

Spanish
*mandril *(_Eng. mandrill_): a Real Madrid supporter.


----------



## apmoy70

Add in Greek:

Hen: Coward
Louse: The meticulous person


Agró said:


> Spanish
> *mandril *(_Eng. mandrill_): a Real Madrid supporter.


Anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus): The Olympiacos' supporters (the club is representing the port of Piraeus and their football/basketball arenas are called by their rivals 'frying pans')
Rabbits: The Panathinaikos' supporters
Worms: The Aris Thessaloniki's fans

Also the residents of the Thessalian port city of Volos are called by the rest of the Thessalians, _martens_ (Martes martes), no idea why.


----------



## sound shift

EN *shrew*:





> WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2019
> shrew1  _(shro̅o̅),USA pronunciation_ n.
> 
> a woman of violent temper and speech;
> termagant.


----------



## symposium

A few Italian entries:
piattola (bed-bug): like in Yiddish, a very annoying person who just goes on and on and on...
avvoltoio (vulture) and sciacallo (jackal): someone who profits from other people's misfortunes
And then the usual:
maiale/maiala (pig): a very dirty person
porco/porca (swine): someone who is obsessed with sex
vacca (cow) and cagna (bitch): a sexually promiscuous woman
asino (ass) and capra (goat): dumb, someone who has a hard time learning or understanding new things.


----------



## Mahaodeh

Arabic (general, some regional variations may apply ):

Dog: bad person in general. Quite insulting.
Donkey or mule: idiot, stupid.
Monkey: joker, not serious, moves too much.
Owl: ugly (at least in Iraqi Arabic).
Sheep: follower, someone who does what he is told without question and without thinking about it.
Crow: bad omen. Was much more insulting when people actually believed in these things  (somewhat archaic).
Ox or bull: someone who is big, strong, and clumsy, also a little on the stupid side.
Lion: brave.
Oryx or gazelle or deer: (for a woman), slender and beautiful.
Gazelle or deer: (for a man), fast.
tortuous: physically slow (nothing to do with a slow mind).
Insect or cockroach: lowly, worthless.
Snake: conniving, deceptive.
Male goat (or he-goat?): used for both male and female, stupid. Also in some contexts, unreasonably stubborn.
A type of singing bird (بلبل I don't know what it is in English): someone with a beautiful voice.
Mare (female horse): for a woman, a desirable good woman that is not 'easy' (somewhat archaic).
Elephant: fat.
Shark: an exploitive and profiteering rich and powerful person.
Animal: generic insult.


----------

