# morboso (en contexto sexual)



## semis

Hi there! When I try to translate the Spanish word "morboso" (in a sexual context) I have some trouble... I've been said that neither morbid nor kinky nor pervert have the positive charge of "morboso"...

Is sleazy the proper word? Could you please explain what do you understand if I say I'm a hot sleazy guy?

Morboso for me is not only that you like a lot of "perversions" but also that you're such a hot person, who is able to turn on with his/her attitude and looks.

Thanx for the help!!


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## B.-

I had never heard "sleazy", so I looked it up in a Cambridge's dictionary, and it doesn't seem to be very nice.
I also looked up "kinky" and "morbid", just to have an idea of a dictionary's definition, and I think that the best option from those 3 is "kinky", even though it doesn't mean everything you mention there.
I can't think of an other similar word that means all that.


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## Áristos

No creo que "sleazy" valga para el caso. Las pocas veces que he oído o leído esa palabra se refería a actitudes o formas de ganarse la vida (-I made 3000 dollars today. - Yes, but you made them in a sleazy way).
"Kinky" tampoco, porque refleja una desviación o perversión.

Estaba pensando quizás en la palabra "lurid". Recuerdo que la he oído con el significado de "morboso".
Por ejemplo, en la película "Psicosis", "Psycho", de Hitchcock, en la primera escena en un hotel, el amante le dice a la protagonista sarcásticamente que quizás deberían enviarse "lurid love letters". 
No obstante, no estoy seguro de que venga a tener ese sentidode morboso que tú preguntas.

A ver qué dicen lo nativos.
Saludos.


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## semis

Thanks for the help, B.- and Áristos. Though, I'd like to hear the opinion of some native speaker...

Do you think lurid could fit for the meaning I'm looking for? Thanks again


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## Miguel Antonio

semis said:


> Morboso for me is not only that you like a lot of "perversions" but also that you're such a hot person, who is able *to turn on* with his/her attitude and looks.


That would be a "turn-on" (I'm a turn-on, you're a turn-on, etc.)



semis said:


> Do you think lurid could fit for the meaning I'm looking for? Thanks again


I personally don't think lurid is the right word.

Wait for other suggestions though...


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## KevinMac

"Lurid" doesn't work here at all. You definitely don't want to describe yourself as "sleazy," this connotes that you have no morals (it would be an appropriate adjective for a prostitute or rapist).  Personally I would go back to one of the words you initially disregarded, "kinky."  In slang it refers to someone who enjoys unconventional sex, and has a positive connotation.  Someone who is very kinky or overly kinky would be described as "freaky."


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## Ushuaia

I concur with KevinMac.

I didn´t know "morboso" had a positive connotation in Spain (which hasn´t reached the dictionary yet, I guess). Around here it´s -pretty much: I can´t say I master all of our varieties- always negative.


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## aztlaniano

KevinMac said:


> "Lurid" doesn't work here at all. You definitely don't want to describe yourself as "sleazy," this connotes that you have no morals (it would be an appropriate adjective for a prostitute or rapist). Personally I would go back to one of the words you initially disregarded, "kinky." In slang it refers to someone who enjoys unconventional sex, and has a positive connotation. Someone who is very kinky or overly kinky would be described as "freaky."


Concuerdo. _Lurid_ y _sleazy_ no funcionan, pero _kinky_, sí.


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## Áristos

Well, in Spain "morboso" has two main meanings.

The first of them has a negative connotation: against morality, macabre, etc.

The second meaning involves being sexually appealing, even if that person isn't particularly attractive to most people. 
You might hear: 
_Esa chica me da mucho morbo._
_Esa chica es muy morbosa._
_Esa chica tiene unos labios morbosos, ..._
Or "chico", but that's not my case 

Cheerio!


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## alexacohen

Ushuaia said:


> I didn´t know "morboso" had a positive connotation in Spain (which hasn´t reached the dictionary yet, I guess).


 
As far as I know, in Spain "morboso" has not a positive meaning at all. It is true that some people say "esa chica me da morbo" but it means you like her in a twisted sort of way. 

"Morboso" describes the people who like to stop and watch the carnage and the blood caused by a car crash. If that means "attractive" for someone... well, there´s no accounting for tastes.


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## Áristos

Pues yo no sería tan tajante.

"Esa chica me da morbo" no sólo quiere decir que ella me produzca deseos retorcidos (kinky or twisted), sino que tiene algo, que a veces no puedes explicar, que hace que te atraiga sexualmente. 

Yo lo veo utlizado a menudo cuando se trata de una persona que no es demasiado atractiva en su conjunto, pero que tiene una manera de ser o un rasgo físico concreto que te lleva a sentirte atraído por ella. Dirías "su sonrisa me da morbo", "sus labios me dan morbo", "su manera tan dulce de hablar me da morbo", "tiene una voz morbosa", etc.
Y no en todos esos casos se te pasan por la cabeza escenas con juguetitos de látex, latigazos, vejaciones sexuales..., simplemente expresas la atracción que te despierta.
Es mi modo de verlo, según mi experiencia y lo que yo suelo ver y oir.

Un saludo.


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## aztlaniano

Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con Áristos en su explicación del uso contemporáneo en España de la palabra "morboso" en el sentido de atractivo sexual (y en desacuerdo con alexacohen, que se atiene a la acepción tradicional, muy parecida, por cierto, al cognado inglés _morbid_), pero todo eso ya lo sabíamos de semis en su planteamiento original. Partiendo de la explicación de semis la cuestión es encontrar algún equivalente en inglés. Semis indicó que "kinky" no abarca todo lo que él/ella entiende con "morboso". Pues creo que habrá que añadir otros adjetivos, pero conservando también "kinky". A ver, semis, ¿qué te parecen estos?:
Provocative, alluring, enticing, seductive.


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## semis

Obviamente nos hemos enfrascado en la típica cuestión de matices que las lenguas pierden con las traducciones... Seguramente tenéis razón y kinky sea la palabra más cercana, pero de la manera que yo quiero usarla da lugar a malentendidos, así que intentaré conjugarla con el "turn on" y el "enticing" que me habéis propuesto, para que pierda la carga negativa.

Yo veo positivo que una persona tenga morbo, que sea atractiva sexualmente, pero puedo entender que haya gente con otros valores para quien sea más bien negativo. De hecho, yo diría que en España entre la población menor de 45 años mi opinión es la mayoritaria... Pero por supuesto en esta acepción sexual, no en la de "curiosidad macabra".

Feliz año a todos y gracias por la ayuda prestada!!


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## jm_rp

it would be great if we could focus again the thread on this expresion _*"Esa chica me da morbo"*_ because I also have been looking for that translation myself.

It is a very very used and common expression in Spain, in the way that Aristos has explained right here, you like someone or you feel attracted by someone and you can not explain why, even though if s/he is not beautiful/handsome they turn you on!


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## alexacohen

jm_rp said:


> it would be great if we could focus again the thread on this expresion _*"Esa chica me da morbo"*_ because I also have been looking for that translation myself.


 
And what is exactly your doubt, now?



> Originally posted by *Aztlaniano*
> Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con Áristos en su explicación del uso contemporáneo en España de la palabra "morboso" en el sentido de atractivo sexual (y en desacuerdo con alexacohen, que se atiene a la acepción tradicional, muy parecida, por cierto, al cognado inglés _morbid_).


Es que yo soy tan, pero tan tradicional, Aztlaniano...


> Originally posted by *Semis*
> De hecho, yo diría que en España entre la población menor de 45 años mi opinión es la mayoritaria...


¿Y qué clase de encuesta has hecho para poder afirmar tal cosa? 

Perdonen, es que como yo vivo en el Cuaternario... voy a buscar dos palitos, a ver si hago un fuego para asar el mamut.


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## turi

Estoy de acuerdo con alexa, asi es cómo lo describe "sleazy" El "Online Etimology Dictionary": http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=sleazy&searchmode=none, y el "Urban Dictionary": http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sleazy. Y así es cómo define "morboso" la RAE: 

*morboso**, sa**.*
(Del lat. _morbōsus_).

*1. *adj. *enfermo.*
*2. *adj. Que causa enfermedad, o concierne a ella.
*3. *adj. Que provoca reacciones mentales moralmente insanas o que es resultado de ellas. _Una novela morbosa._ _Su obsesión por la muerte parece morbosa._
*4. *adj. Que manifiesta inclinación al morbo. U. t. c. s.

Saludos, t.


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## aztlaniano

Tampoco es para perder mucho sueño, pero creo que ha sido útil recordarnos que el uso de "morbo", en el sentido que le da a la palabra semis y 'la mayoría de la población español de 45 años o menos', está bien fundamentado en el DRAE:


turissa said:


> Y así es cómo define "morboso" la RAE:
> *3. *adj. Que _*provoca reacciones mentales* *moralmente* _*insanas *o que es resultado de ellas.


*Insano,* a su vez, siempre según el DRAE, es *2. *adj. Loco, demente.
Pues claro, nuestro colega semis "vuelve loco/as" a los chico/as, suscita (perdón, _provoca_) en ellos/as reacciones _moralmente insanas._ Creo que es lo mismo que dijeron los reverendos conservadores de EEUU sobre Elvis Presley allá en 1956. He drove the girls crazy.
June 5, 1956 - Elvis appears on the Milton Berle show, where his "racy moves" are condemned by the morally concerned. The kids love it!
http://www.elvispresleynews.com/ElvisBiography.html
The Catholic Church issued a statement called "Beware Elvis Presley."
http://hnn.us/roundup/comments/3519.html


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## bedroomeyes

How about "salacious" or "lascivious"?


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## aztlaniano

bedroomeyes said:


> How about "salacious" or "lascivious"?


Bingo!  
Y de la fuente más adecuada: nuestra _bedroomeyes_. (Otro término más que le puede resultar útil a semis.)


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## Tinman39OZ

since all the words are either too much or too little, why not combine a couple of "old faithful" words that are known by all. 

"pervertedly sexy"  or another of the dozens of combinations.

tinman39oz


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## elirlandes

Sleazy tiene conotaciones de dar asco, y no necesariamente por ser torcido o perverso.

En este contexto: morboso = kinky
They are used in pretty much exactly the same way.



alexacohen said:


> As far as I know, in Spain "morboso" has not a positive meaning at all. It is true that some people say "esa chica me da morbo" but it means you like her in a twisted sort of way.


Kinky also has the same "twisted" origen (see "kink").



jm_rp said:


> _*"Esa chica me da morbo"*_


That girl is [a real turn-on / gets me going / hot / kinky]
All of these can work...
Si la chica da morbo por lo "puta" que parece (en lugar de atraer por su hermosura o elegancia) entonces, se dice mucho en los EEUU "that girl is nasty".


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## semis

> Tampoco es para perder mucho sueño, pero creo que ha sido útil recordarnos que el uso de "morbo", en el sentido que le da a la palabra semis y 'la mayoría de la población español de 45 años o menos', está bien fundamentado en el DRAE:
> Quote:
> 
> Y así es cómo define "morboso" la RAE:
> *3. *adj. Que _*provoca reacciones mentales* *moralmente* _*insanas *o que es resultado de ellas.


Efectivamente, a eso justo me refería... que la moralidad ha cambiado y actualmente ser sexualmente atractivo se considera algo positivo, al menos esa es mi percepción.

De nuevo, gracias a todos


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## turi

Me lo copio de un buen amigo que me ha dado permiso.  Creo que la palabra es "me pone".


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## alexacohen

semis said:


> Efectivamente, a eso justo me refería... que la moralidad ha cambiado y actualmente ser sexualmente atractivo se considera algo positivo, al menos esa es mi percepción.


If you say so. 

_Make love not war and sex and drugs and rock and roll_ must strike you as the epitome of morality.


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## Áristos

aztlaniano said:


> Bingo!
> Y de la fuente más adecuada: nuestra _bedroomeyes_. (Otro término más que le puede resultar útil a semis.)



Jajajaja. ¡Ni hecho a posta!

La verdad es que con este hilo me reído más de una vez, cómo se notan los temas que más nos interesan a todos 
Si se os ocurre otro, avisadme...


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## bedroomeyes

Áristos said:


> Jajajaja. ¡Ni hecho a posta!
> 
> La verdad es que con este hilo me reído más de una vez, cómo se notan los temas que más nos interesan a todos
> Si se os ocurre otro, avisadme...


 
Acabo de ver el resto de este hilo. Qué chistosos...


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## KevinMac

semis said:


> así que intentaré conjugarla con el "turn on" y el "enticing" que me habéis propuesto, para que pierda la carga negativa.



Pienso que la palabra "kinky" ya tiene una carga positiva sin los adjetivos.  Pero después de leer todo este hilo pienso que "kinky" no sirve para "morboso."  Si yo digo que una chica es "kinky," estoy describiendo su actitud sexual, que no tiene reservas sexuales.  Es imposible decir que la chica al otro lado del bar es "kinky," eso no puedes saber.  Para una atracción inexplicable diría yo "That girl just does it for me."


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## sappy16

i don't think you'd ever want to describe yourself as 'perverted', even if it was 'pervertedly sexy'!! 'lascivious' seems to be more like what you are after. or else maybe 'libidinous' or even 'raunchy'...


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## bondia

bedroomeyes said:


> How about "salacious" or "lascivious"?


 
I missed this thread, otherwise would have joined in
How about: "wanton"?


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## aztlaniano

bondia said:


> "wanton"


Excelente, aunque podría hacerle parecer promíscuo, como esta otra: "brazen".


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## bondia

aztlaniano said:


> Excelente, aunque podría hacerle parecer promíscuo, como esta otra: "brazen", pero quizá sea eso de lo que se trata.


 
"Brazen" me suena más activo, y "wanton" más pasivo o "laid-back" (no pun intended, I swear)


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## Metzaka

How about lewd, dirty or obscene?
Saludos.


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## woorijip

I've come across the use of "morboso" in an Argentine context before. I once asked an Argentine about the adjective and he told me the word simply  wasn't used. Well, here's a direct quote of the use of morboso from a web "personal" ad  as it's used in a rioplatense context. Wouldn't you all agree that it means "kinky" in this context? What else could it mean? Sorry if the quote is a little X-rated, but it's real. Any comments from rioplatense speakers? Also, any comment on the meaning of "franela" in this phrase?

Activo                muy participativo 100% morboso y libidinoso. Un calentón                por excelencia mucha franela besos, caricias, masajes. Cumplo todas                tus fantasias por mas locas y obscenas que sean.                Un verdadero experto en dar
 placer. placer.


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## elirlandes

woorijip said:


> I've come across the use of "morboso" in an Argentine context before. I once asked an Argentine about the adjective and he told me the word simply  wasn't used. Well, here's a direct quote of the use of morboso from a web "personal" ad  as it's used in a rioplatense context. Wouldn't you all agree that it means "kinky" in this context? What else could it mean? Sorry if the quote is a little X-rated, but it's real. Any comments from rioplatense speakers? Also, any comment on the meaning of "franela" in this phrase?
> 
> Activo                muy participativo 100% morboso y libidinoso. Un calentón                por excelencia mucha franela besos, caricias, masajes. Cumplo todas                tus fantasias por mas locas y obscenas que sean.                Un verdadero experto en dar
> placer. placer.



I totally agree - the use of "morboso" that I hear in Spain equates_ exactly_ to _kinky _as used in English.


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## Roberto_Mendoza

Tal vez _prurient_ funcione. Saludos.


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## aztlaniano

Roberto_Mendoza said:


> Tal vez _prurient_ funcione. Saludos.


En la teoría sí, pero en la práctica tiene sus limitaciones.
La desventaja para semis es que la chica/o a quien pretende intrigar podría perder el interés mientras saca el diccionario para enterarse del significado. Prurient comparte esta desventaja con salacious y lascivious (que ha propuesto bedroomeyes ¿post #16?) pero la tiene en aún mayor grado, creo.


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## Roberto_Mendoza

Tienes razón Aztlaniano, _prurient_ es un cultismo.

Se me ocurrió otra: _*horndog*_. Es muy común entre los jóvenes. Saludos.


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## woorijip

And I've seen  "morbo" as well. I believe that that's the form a Porteno claimed didn't exist, but from one of the posts in this thread, "morbo" is a variant, too? Any Argentines or Uruguayans care to confirm? Maybe this form isn't used in Chile? Although if Iberians use it, it must be more a matter of whether a speaker would use such libidinous language commonly or not. 
Maybe only the morboso use the word


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## Ushuaia

woorijip said:


> And I've seen "morbo" as well. I believe that that's the form a Porteno claimed didn't exist, but from one of the posts in this thread, "morbo" is a variant, too? Any Argentines or Uruguayans care to confirm? Maybe this form isn't used in Chile? Although if Iberians use it, it must be more a matter of whether a speaker would use such libidinous language commonly or not.
> Maybe only the morboso use the word



"Morbo/morboso" are used in Argentina with their DRAE meanings. If somebody described himself as "morboso", it would be understood that they are morbid. For  "me da morbo" we would say "me calienta", i.e. "he/she turns me on". 

We do, however, speak Spanish. There´s no rule against borrowing expressions from other varieties: I´ve heard people say "pinche", "cojones", "chévere", but they´re rare, and it´s understood that the terms are Mexican, Spanish, Caribbean... 
Since we don´t seem to have an equivalent word, it´s only logical that somebody wanting to describe themselves as sexually... adventurous would choose either "morboso" or "kinky". I´ve heard this one a few times, but not "morboso": the first things that come to mind when we hear it are blood, accidents and surgeries, which are only a turn-on in a J.C. Ballard kind of way.  

Back to the thread subject, why not use "kinky" for "morboso" and "turn-on" for "morbo"? Unless one´s trying to do a play on words, there´s no reason why they should share a root. 

Muchos saludos.


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## Roberto_Mendoza

Yo creo que una de las confusiones es que también _morbo/morboso_ tienen en el DRAE el significado de "interés malsano", es decir un interés que puede resultar contrario a la salud física o moral. O sea que el significado avalado por la RAE no se limita a cuestiones de enfermedades, accidentes o sangre, sino que admite la interpretación de algo o alquien que tiene una degradación moral, la cual a su vez puede ser de índole sexual. Claro que lo que para unos es lascivia y degradación moral, para otros puede resultar excitante o sexualmente estimulante. 

Así pues, yo creo que en sentido sexual, _morbo o morboso _tienen un origen no tan positivo, sino que transmiten un tono de desaprobación de tipo moral (de origen religioso supongo). Pero precisamente porque se refiere a un interés sexual elevado, conlleva cierta ambigüedad, en especial para la persona que lo experimenta: sé que mi interés tal vez sea moralmente reprobable para mis devotos padres, o para mi hermano que es un santurrón, pero esa inmoralidad es lo que lo hace más atractivo aún. Esa es mi humilde opinión.

Retomando la pregunta inicial, cómo decir morboso en inglés, propongo de nuevo la palabra _*horndog*_, la cual es muy común entre los jóvenes. He aquí lo que dice Urban Dictionary:

4. *horndog*
some one with a high sex drive, 
frequently horny, 
craving sexual acts regularly, 
gets immense pleasure out of 'doin de business'.

_wow, u gotta take it easy little horndog!! 

he was all over me last night, hes such a horndog! 

look at those two horndogs goin at it in the bushes!!_



Las demás acepciones son muy similares. Espero les sirva. Saludos.


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## semis

Mmm, me gusta ese horndog... con el punto de jerga juvenil y fácil de recordar... 

Muchas gracias a todos por vuestras aportaciones. Realmente he aprendido muchísimo!


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## elirlandes

semis said:


> Mmm, me gusta ese horndog... con el punto de jerga juvenil y fácil de recordar...
> 
> Muchas gracias a todos por vuestras aportaciones. Realmente he aprendido muchísimo!



Horndog es literalmente _perro cachondo_ y quiere decir lo mismo en inglés que en espanol. No quiere decir "morboso".

Morboso = kinky


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## Roberto_Mendoza

elirlandes said:


> Horndog es literalmente _perro cachondo_ y quiere decir lo mismo en inglés que en espanol. No quiere decir "morboso".



No en inglés estadounidense.


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## elirlandes

Roberto_Mendoza said:


> No en inglés estadounidense.



I am not sure what you mean by this. "horndog" is only really used in American English, and it refers to a person who is lascivious. This word does not mean "morboso".


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## Xinito

semis said:


> Hi there! When I try to translate the Spanish word "morboso" (in a sexual context) I have some trouble... I've been said that neither morbid nor kinky nor pervert have the positive charge of "morboso"...
> 
> Is sleazy the proper word? Could you please explain what do you understand if I say I'm a hot sleazy guy?
> 
> Morboso for me is not only that you like a lot of "perversions" but also that you're such a hot person, who is able to turn on with his/her attitude and looks.
> 
> Thanx for the help!!


 
SLEAZY no es una palabra que se usa para halagar alguien...  Sleazy quiere decir "guarro/guarra".


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## Xinito

elirlandes said:


> Horndog es literalmente _perro cachondo_ y quiere decir lo mismo en inglés que en espanol. No quiere decir "morboso".
> 
> Morboso = kinky


 
Morboso puede significar Drop Dead Gorgeous / HOTTIE / Knock-out / Bomb-shell / Off-the-chain / Off-the-hook

These are American street slang.


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## Roberto_Mendoza

elirlandes said:


> I am not sure what you mean by this. "horndog" is only really used in American English, and it refers to a person who is lascivious. This word does not "mean morboso".



My apologies if I wasn't clear. 
First, what I meant was that _horndog_ did not mean only "horny dog" in AE, so you are correct (I think I answered without including your quote, hence the confusion), and that is why I said not "en inglés estadounidense".

Second, if you follow the discussion from the very beginning, the OP said that that was precisely how s/he wanted to use it, as something with sexual overtones, and not quite negatively or in a reprobatory tone. Moreover, _morboso_ does have the meaning of lascivious, lustful, horny, constantly looking for sex, with a prurient state of mind, etc. (probably all those combined ). I am it is not true of all Spanish speaking countries, but it certainly has that meaning in several of them, as other forum users have confirmed.

So, to recap, I was suggesting that a a possible translation for what the OP wanted to convey was "horndog". I should have said that it was only for AE, and it had a very slangy tone. Again, I offer my apologies if I created any confusion.


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## joe m.

morboso = luscious

and/or (depending on the context)

morboso = slutty


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## woorijip

Thank you all who have contributed to this thread. Despite disagreements over a more bookish DRAE definition and the actual usage in sexual contexts, it's very clear that morboso/morbo does mean slutty/kinky. This is also true in Argentina. The Argentines who have told me that it isn't used for kinky/slutty must be speaking/thinking firmly within their own idiolects because I see it in different online fora and in explicit personal sexual ads, all based in Buenos Aires. The latest coupling of morboso I've come across is: _morboso y vicioso_! Let's see if morboso goes the way of barbaro and boludo in the future generation. It might become a rather common compliment


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## Ushuaia

woorijip said:


> Thank you all who have contributed to this thread. Despite disagreements over a more bookish DRAE definition and the actual usage in sexual contexts, it's very clear that morboso/morbo does mean slutty/kinky. This is also true in Argentina. The Argentines who have told me that it isn't used for kinky/slutty must be speaking/thinking firmly within their own ideolects because I see it in different online fora and in explicit personal sexual ads, all based in Buenos Aires. The latest coupling of morboso I've come across is: _morboso y vicioso_! Let's see if morboso goes the way of barbaro and boludo in the future generation. It might become a rather common compliment


 
Personal ads have their own jargon. You may read it online, but you won´t hear "morboso" in Argentina meaning kinky. That may change in the future, but it has nothing to do with my or other forum members´ idIolect: it just doesn´t exist. When necessary, we may say "perverso" or even "degenerado" in a complimentary manner... just not "morboso".

Saludos.


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## woorijip

This is again confusing. A friend with a linguistics background said to me when discussing this thread that sometimes native speakers are unaware of patterns of use in their own native language. Concerning this word, I asked a native speaker who travels to some degree among the denizens of the underworld (he's gay) and here's what he said:
Morbos: kinks.

He also pointed me to some fora where the written language reflects the spoken language to a large degree and "morboso" is used there. 

I think the gente decente, or even an educated person from the middle class, might not use the same language as someone from an abject sexual minority, working class, or gente de pueblo. But like tango, the word might crawl "out of the gutters" and enter common usage.


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## Áristos

woorijip said:


> This is again confusing. A friend with a linguistics background said to me when discussing this thread that sometimes native speakers are unaware of patterns of use in their own native language. Concerning this word, I asked a native speaker who travels to some degree among the denizens of the underworld (he's gay) and here's what he said:
> Morbos: kinks.
> 
> He also pointed me to some fora where the written language reflects the spoken language to a large degree and "morboso" is used there.
> 
> I think the gente decente, or even an educated person from the middle class, might not use the same language as someone from an abject sexual minority, working class, or gente de pueblo. But like tango, the word might crawl "out of the gutters" and enter common usage.



El significado alternativo de "morboso" en España, tal y como expliqué en mi post, y como confirmaron algunos compatriotas míos, no se mueve en ese ámbito de grosería e indecencia que comentas 
Solamente es un término coloquial cuando es usado con ese sentido, pero no es algo que sólo digan los _denizens of the underworld_.

Saludos.


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## woorijip

I agree  with your comment, Áristos. I was speculating as to why some native speakers wouldn't understand the word as meaning kinky; perhaps that someone who doesn't recognize the meaning "kinky" would travel in circles that might pale at the circles in which it's commonly understood as "kinky". And I assume the word that definitively wouldn't mean "kinky" is morbido".

Here is a reply I received from a resident of Buenos Aires today: 

Morboso: can be a "morbid" curiosity. But it also means morboso as kinky. In a sexual context, when someone says Im re morboso, means that he is kinky or interested in "different" than usual.


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## woorijip

sappy16 said:


> i don't think you'd ever want to describe yourself as 'perverted', even if it was 'pervertedly sexy'!! 'lascivious' seems to be more like what you are after. or else maybe 'libidinous' or even 'raunchy'...



In an ironic and humorous way, one could refer to oneself or another as "over-sexed", but that would imply a reference to the Kinsey era and it might not come across with the intended humour and subtext if the other conversant didn't pick up on it as an historical reference or irony.


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## bondia

Acabo de leer los 54 posts que llevamos en este hilo. A lo mejor, a mí me van a quitar de en medio porque no sé si voy a contribuir algo positivo al tema, pero, por si acaso a alguien le sirve: Cuando leo o escucho la palabra morbo, morboso, siempre me viene en mente una pelicula: "Blue Velvet". ¿Os acordáis de Dennis Hopper y Nastassja Kinski? Esto es morbo. Habiéndo dicho esto, no sé traducirlo al inglés, pero creo que hay que buscarlo en la oscuridad.. darkness, viciousness, etc.etc.


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## flywombat

This is really late but just seeing as no one mentioned this possibility, and it's what I always think of...

tener morbo - to have *sex appeal*.
dar morbo - to turn (one) on 
morboso - a mixture between being kinky (in more a playful than perverted way) and having sex appeal 

I agree an exact one-word translation for MORBOSO into English which includes all these connotations is difficult. At a pinch, maybe you could just use *sexy *or even *a playful, sexy guy*.

Sleazy only has negative connotations and conjures images of a drooling, lascivious guy who is all hands and obviously only after sex - literally or with the attitude and air about the person.

Better late than never


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## duquedealba

Totalmente de acuerdo con Áristos, creo que  ha explicado perfectamente los dos sentidos que en castellano tiene la palabra "morboso". Además, no sé por qué razón se tiene que sentir nadie ofendido... al fin y al cabo, todos venimos aquí a aprender y a nadie se le está insultando ni diciendo que está en el cuaternario ni en la edad de piedra. Be water, my friend




Áristos said:


> Pues yo no sería tan tajante.
> 
> "Esa chica me da morbo" no sólo quiere decir que ella me produzca deseos retorcidos (kinky or twisted), sino que tiene algo, que a veces no puedes explicar, que hace que te atraiga sexualmente.
> 
> Yo lo veo utlizado a menudo cuando se trata de una persona que no es demasiado atractiva en su conjunto, pero que tiene una manera de ser o un rasgo físico concreto que te lleva a sentirte atraído por ella. Dirías "su sonrisa me da morbo", "sus labios me dan morbo", "su manera tan dulce de hablar me da morbo", "tiene una voz morbosa", etc.
> Y no en todos esos casos se te pasan por la cabeza escenas con juguetitos de látex, latigazos, vejaciones sexuales..., simplemente expresas la atracción que te despierta.
> Es mi modo de verlo, según mi experiencia y lo que yo suelo ver y oir.
> 
> Un saludo.


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## SirimiriGirl

Returning to the original question, i.e. translating "morboso" to "hot, sleazy, guy":
Firstly, "sleazy" always has a negative connotation in English- something akin to "de mala muerte", "coutre" for a place, and maybe the expression "un hombre verde" for a man- It conjures images of a man who wears open shirts, too much aftershave and gold chains- So unless this is what you want to project?? I think a better alternative could be "Red-hot horny devil".Good luck.


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## enlondres

Really depends on the sense you're trying to get, and the register. "Pervetedly sexy" or something along those lines seems almost literary, let alone "salacious".
"Sleazy" on the other hand, I have seen used in some online personals, without the negative connotations listed in the dictionary - can be taken to mean "dirty-minded". Agree with previous comments though, "kinky" is probably more widely acceptable and ambiguous enough to catch most senses.


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## dennisruc

I saw a sex ad in which someone described himself as pasivo morboso and had fetiches with suits, ties, jackets, etc.  so I think kinky , depending upon the culture, may work fine.  this being argentina...


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## woorijip

I've been back to Argentina again since I posted the thread on "morbo" and I'm now confident that it's very common. The use I noticed this time was "me da morbo" to describe something which turns one on or makes one "horny".
It's not used in polite company, but it's used in Argentina with the full sexual connotation of sexy/horny/kinky.

It's hard to track down unofficial language. An example is the word for g-string or thong. I watched a lot of Argentine TV and a show on channel 13 featured dancing, sometimes rather suggestively. A male dancer wore a thong, which everyone referred to as a "zunga". I looked in the definitive dictionary "Diccionario integral del espanol argentino" and there's no entry. I used a small but specifically comparative Spanish dictionary "El espanol de Espana y el espanol de America" which has a grid format comparing the use of common words in Spain/Uruguay/Chile/Argentina/Venezuela and zunga was listed as a Chilean variant but not a word used in Argentina. Yet "zunga" (sometimes spelled "sunga") is commonly used across all generations in Argentina.


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## stephinspain

semis said:


> When I try to translate the Spanish word "morboso" (in a sexual context) I have some trouble... I've been said that neither morbid nor kinky nor pervert have the positive charge of "morboso"...
> 
> Is sleazy the proper word? Could you please explain what do you understand if I say I'm a hot sleazy guy?
> 
> Morboso for me is not only that you like a lot of "perversions" but also that you're such a hot person, who is able to turn on with his/her attitude and looks.
> 
> Thanx for the help!!



I would probably go with 'horny' .... although not exact for all the  conotations of the word 'morboso', in English, it's very usual to say  'She makes me horny' or 'I am a hot, horny guy'. 

Hope this helps!!


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## merquiades

Gees.  I just read the whole thread.  Very interesting.  My take:  Dar morbo is to turn on,  morboso as a positive characteristic for somene having sex appeal is simply sexy or hot.  Just that, nothing more. All those other words, and I remember seeing kinky, sleazy, salacious, horny etc.  can either have negative sides to them which jump out immediately, or else skew the idea in another direction or are just way too much.


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## woorijip

merquiades said:


> Gees.  I just read the whole thread.  Very interesting.  My take:  Dar morbo is to turn on,  morboso as a positive characteristic for somene having sex appeal is simply sexy or hot.  Just that, nothing more. All those other words, and I remember seeing kinky, sleazy, salacious, horny etc.  can either have negative sides to them which jump out immediately, or else skew the idea in another direction or are just way too much.



Yes, I now confidently concur. At least, in the Argentine (probably also in Uruguay, as well. Chile, I don't know. Probably?). "Dar morbo" is "to turn on". I'm guessing that "morboso" is too strong for some contexts, but I've seen it used for "hot, sexy". I've also seen "vicioso" which I'm assuming is "kinky", perhaps implying insatiably so?


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## merquiades

woorijip said:


> Yes, I now confidently concur. At least, in the Argentine (probably also in Uruguay, as well. Chile, I don't know. Probably?). "Dar morbo" is "to turn on". I'm guessing that "morboso" is too strong for some contexts, but I've seen it used for "hot, sexy". I've also seen "vicioso" which I'm assuming is "kinky", perhaps implying insatiably so?



I don't think in Spain "morboso" can be strong nowadays in this context at least.  It's just like a granny warning her daughter to cover up those calves because they might give indecent ideas to young men.  That's dead in Spain.  But it's not just clothing; eyes, walking, talking, smiling can also get a rise out of people. 
To add more emphasis some people might feel comfortable saying "S/he's one sexy motherf***er." 
I think "kinky" assumes you know something about the person.  Vicioso seems good for that.


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## Ushuaia

Guys, guys, guys. "Morboso" as "hot" is very much used in internet ads seeking sexual partners. However, when one talks about "morbo" in Argentina it's not sex appeal that comes to mind, but death and violence. Here you have a few examples.


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## merquiades

Ushuaia said:


> Guys, guys, guys. "Morboso" as "hot" is very much used in internet ads seeking sexual partners. However, when one talks about "morbo" in Argentina it's not sex appeal that comes to mind, but death and violence. Here you have a few examples.



Hola Ushuaia.  Gracias por los ejemplos. Ya veo lo que quieres decir.  Sólo usáis la primera acepción de los diccionarios, la de "morbid".


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## Ushuaia

merquiades said:


> Hola Ushuaia.  Gracias por los ejemplos. Ya veo lo que quieres decir.  Sólo usáis la primera acepción de los diccionarios, la de "morbid".



En la vida cotidiana, por lo menos, sí. A juzgar por la cantidad de argentinos que se autoproclaman "morbosos" sexualmente en internet, la palabra cobró esa acepción por estos lares... en ese contexto (el de avisos de búsqueda de compañeros sexuales). Nunca la oí ni la leí con ese significado, salvo en las búsquedas que hice durante este hilo. Para hablar de gente "caliente" podemos decir "zarpados", "perversos", "chanchos"... ¡"morbosos" por acá son los que se detienen a mirar un accidente de tránsito!


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## woodruff.jack

KevinMac said:


> "Lurid" doesn't work here at all. You definitely don't want to describe yourself as "sleazy," this connotes that you have no morals (it would be an appropriate adjective for a prostitute or rapist).  Personally I would go back to one of the words you initially disregarded, "kinky."  In slang it refers to someone who enjoys unconventional sex, and has a positive connotation.  Someone who is very kinky or overly kinky would be described as "freaky."



I agree one hundred percent. And on "freaky," let me say that it describes someone who "gets off" (there's  another one for you - it means to become sexually satisfied) on unusual  or kinky sexual acts. "A freaky chick" - a sexually adventurous girl.  "I'm feeling freaky tonight" - I feel like doing some really kinky stuff  tonight.

Hope this helps as much as it was embarrassing to write.


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## aurilla

I would also go with "perverted" or "twisted"


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## dennisruc

but perverted and kinky are very different things.  perverted is negative, kinky depends upon your values, but perverted is negative.  I don't know  but here in Argentina I've asked around and morboso is kinky but not perverso , or perverted.  Maybe it depends on one's perspective about things.


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## dennisruc

but perverted and kinky are very different things.  perverted is negative, kinky depends upon your values, but perverted is negative.  I don't know  but here in Argentina I've asked around and morboso is kinky but not perverso , or perverted.  Maybe it depends on one's perspective about things.  nor is it pervertido.


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## aurilla

I suggest "perverted" or "twisted"


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## elirlandes

I am surprised that this thread has gone back and forth so much.

Obviously "morboso" when referring to the unusual fascination with things relating to death etc is "morbid".

Where it relates to sexuality, I have only ever come across this word with the meaning of "kinky", and have never come across its use in Spanish with the negative connotations that come with "perverted" or "twisted". For me, "kinky" is a very exact translation.

"Hot" on the other hand, is used generally to mean "horny" and more recently"sexually attractive", but it does not suggest a connotation of "morboso"/"kinky".

Claro, lo que le parece a uno morboso puede parecer perverso para otro, pero eso es otra cosa...


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## Soros004

I was going to ask the same.  And I choose "pervert" ... it fits.


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## dennisruc

but kinky is not the same as pervert.  Kinky is something fuera de lo comun.  Pervert sounds bad. 
A pervert, for example, likes little children.  Someone who is kinky , maybe likes hi heeled shoes, or different kinds of sex.
Maybe it means the same thing?  But in English, to be kinky is not the same as to be a pervert.
thanks the same, I just wanted to distinguish that in English.  I read that someone said he was 'algo morboso' to me, that's kinky, maybe he likes bathrooms or something.  But perverted is more of the michael jackson genero (if you believe what people say he did).  again, thanks for answering. gracias por la repuesta.  dennis  There's a big big difference between kinky and pervert to me.


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## g4 v4 r4

semis said:


> Hi there! When I try to translate the Spanish word "morboso" (in a sexual context) I have some trouble... I've been said that neither morbid nor kinky nor pervert have the positive charge of "morboso"...
> 
> Is sleazy the proper word? Could you please explain what do you understand if I say I'm a hot sleazy guy?
> 
> Morboso for me is not only that you like a lot of "perversions" but also that you're such a hot person, who is able to turn on with his/her attitude and looks.
> 
> Thanx for the help!!



the wor you want is ogle and the ver is ogling to eye; look or stare at. often when sexually attracted.


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