# over-demanding, fierce wife



## SuperXW

Hi!
I wonder if we can find such a slang term, metaphor or idiom in each language, to describe an over-demanding, fierce wife? 

Chinese (PRC Mandarin): 母老虎 
Literal meaning: tigress

A Chinese idiom: 河东狮吼
Literal meaning: Lion roaring at river's east 
Explanation: An famous ancient poet first said this. "A lion's roar" was originally a Buddhist metaphor. The poet used it to mock that the wife of his friend was shouting at him from their residence.


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## learnerr

Russian people use Ancient mythology, both their own and Greek-Roman. An over-demanding wife might be a karga, a vedma ("карга", "ведьма", both words mean a witch), a megaera ("мегера") or a fury ("фурия"). These words fit especially well to old unbeautiful women of such character.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

1/ *«Μέγαιρα»* ['meʝera] (fem.) --> _in ancient Greek mythology the name of one of the «Ἐρῑνύες» Ĕrīnúĕs_ metaphorically, _the termagant, shrewish woman_ < Classical v. *«μεγαίρω» mĕgaírō* --> _to grudge, envy, refuse_ (PIE *meǵh₂-, _great_ cf Skt. महि (mahi), _great_; Hitt. mekk-/mekki-, _much, many_).

2/ *«Στρίγκλα»* ['striŋgla] (fem.) --> _spiteful, shrewish woman_, a re-loan: Classical Gr. 3rd declension fem. noun *«στρίγξ» stríŋks* & *«στρίξ» stríks* --> _owl_ (with obscure etymology) > Lat. strīga (fem.) --> _evil spirit, witch_ > Late Lat. strigula (fem.) > Byz. Gr. «στρίγκλα» (also found as *«στρίγγλα» stríŋgla*).

3/ *«Μαινάδα»* [me'naða] (fem.) --> _in ancient Greek mythology the name of the female followers of god Dionysus, «Μαινάς» Mainás_, metaph. _the shrewish, raving woman_ < Classical deponent v. *«μαίνομαι» maínŏmai* --> _to rage, be furious_ (PIE *men-, _to remember, think _ cf Skt. मन्यते (manyate), _to think, imagine_; OCS мьнѣти, _to think_ > Rus. мнительный, BCS мнити/mniti, Slo. meniti; Lat. mēns, _mind_ > It./Sp./Por. mente, Rom. minte).

4/ *«Κάργια»* ['karʝa] (fem.) --> _the bird European Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)_, metaph. _the scolding, quarrelsome, obnoxious woman_ < Turkish karga.

1 & 2 are used equally and interchangeably in the vernacular. 3 is considered bookish. 4 is colloquial and rustic, almost obsolete.


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## rusita preciosa

A small addition to the Russian lexicon, also from mythology: harpy ("гарпия").


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## bibax

Czech:

furie, lítice (Lítice = Furia in Czech; lítý = fierce);
megera (one of the Furies);
xantippa (Sokrates' cantankerous wife);.

metrnice, semetrika < (ce) maîtresse;

čarodějnice (= vixen), sekernice (sekyra/sekera = axe);


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## rusita preciosa

SuperXW said:


> Chinese (PRC Mandarin): 母老虎
> Literal meaning: tigress


To my Western ear it sounds much better than things like shrew, crow or harpy...


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## bibax

According to the Cambridge on-line dictionary 'tigress' is a woman who is behaving very violently:

_Jean can be a real tigress if she feels criticized.

_In Czech we should rather say:

_She is a real tigress in bed. _(it's commonly used in English as well)


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## SuperXW

learnerr said:


> ...These words fit especially well to old unbeautiful women of such character.


 Ironically, if the over-demanding, fierce wife or girlfriend is a pretty young girl, it will turn to be a thing makes people jealous.   In 2001 a Korean movie called "My Sassy Girl" was popular in China, depicting such a girlfriend. The movie title is translated as "my barbaric girlfriend" in Chinese. Since then, the Chinese word "barbaric" has turned into a funny but positive way to describe a fierce but cute personality...


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## SuperXW

rusita preciosa said:


> To my Western ear it sounds much better than things like shrew, crow or harpy...


Does this mean shrew, crow or harpy are all used on describing such kind of women in English?
Can we use "tigress" in English as well? Since bibax has quoted the Cambridge dictionary. So we can say it, just the tone would be softer?


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## rusita preciosa

In English I only know shrew. Crow (a jackdaw is a crow-like bird) is form Greek above and harpy from Russian.
I would imagine tigress would be rather flattering in most European languages.


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## learnerr

In Russian, "хищница" ("predatoress") is used to mean a selfish woman: she does not care for anything but mundane success, not thinking twice before harming other people or even ruining others' lives, if she is up to. Russians also might use more specific words instead of this general one, like "волчица" ("wolfess"), "львица" ("lioness"), or "тигрица" ("tigress"). They all have different connotations; the first makes think of solitary hunt skills, the second is about being calm, luxurous and splendid (the only word of these three that may be often perceived as complimenting), the third would be associated with fierceness.


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## origumi

In Hebrew there was "klafte", but this word lost its popularity in the last few decades. Borrowed from Yiddish. Yiddish borrowed it maybe from "klabta" = she-dog in Judeo-Aramaic, or from Greek Xanthippe, Socrates' wife.


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## arielipi

origumi said:


> In Hebrew there was "klafte", but this word lost its popularity in the last few decades. Borrowed from Yiddish. Yiddish borrowed it maybe from "klabta" = she-dog in Judeo-Aramaic, or from Greek Xanthippe, Socrates' wife.


That is not klafte, a klafte is a bitter (merira) wife, it translates into bitch.


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## ancalimon

Cadı (witch) is used in Turkish. But she needn't be your wife. She can simply be your girlfriend or just friend.



learnerr said:


> Russian people use Ancient mythology, both  their own and Greek-Roman. An over-demanding wife might be a karga, a  vedma ("карга", "ведьма", both words mean a witch), a megaera ("мегера")  or a fury ("фурия"). These words fit especially well to old unbeautiful  women of such character.



Interesting. Karga means crow in Turkish and crows are identified with witches.


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## learnerr

ancalimon said:


> Interesting. Karga means crow in Turkish and crows are identified with witches.


Probably an old loan... There were a multitude of loans from Turkic languages a few hundred years ago.
The word "karga" in Russian has no connection with crows. As for the crows themselves, a crow ("ворон") can be a wizard, but never a witch.


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## rusita preciosa

learnerr said:


> As for the crows themselves, a crow ("ворон") can be a wizard, but never a witch.


I'm not sure I agree. For me, a crow (воронa) is rather associated with someone who is a scatterbrain/forgetful/innatentive. A raven (ворон) is the one who is wise, wizardly and a bit sinister.


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## learnerr

rusita preciosa said:


> I'm not sure I agree. For me, a crow (воронa) is rather associated with someone who is a scatterbrain/forgetful/innatentive. A raven (ворон) is the one who is wise, wizardly and a bit sinister.


Ah, sorry. My mistake with my English. I thought they're the same word in it.


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## apmoy70

learnerr said:


> In Russian, "хищница" ("predatoress") is used to mean a selfish woman: she does not care for anything but mundane success, not thinking twice before harming other people or even ruining others' lives, if she is up to


Likewise, in Greek, she is a *«γυναίκα-αρπακτικό»* [ʝi'neka arpakti'ko] --> _woman-predatoress_



ancalimon said:


> Interesting. Karga means crow in Turkish and crows are identified with witches.


In Greek *«κάργια»* ['karʝa] (fem.) is not crow but a bird in the Corvidae family, that makes a lot of noise, and it's an omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, the Jackdaw. Its formal name («κάργια» is a Turkish loan), is *«κολοιός»* [koli'os] (masc.) < Classical masc. noun *«κολοιός» kŏloiós *--> _Jackdaw_ (with obscure etymology). The ugly old witch is a *«καρακάξα»* [kara'kaksa] (fem.) --> _the bird Magpie_ (with uncertain etymology, «καρακάξα» [kara'kaksa] is either i) onomatopoeic, or, ii) a medieval corruption of the Classical Gr. fem. noun *«κορακόκισσᾱ» kŏrăkókīssā* --> _Jay, Magpie_).


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## origumi

arielipi said:


> That is not klafte, a klafte is a bitter (merira) wife, it translates into bitch.


Oh please, there's a whole world beyond Wikipedia. See for example here and here and here.


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## arielipi

origumi said:


> Oh please, there's a whole world beyond Wikipedia. See for example here and here and here.


אז בואי מדברים נכונה, טוב?


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## bibax

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek:
> ...
> 4/ *«Κάργια»* (fem.) --> _the bird European Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)_, metaph. _the scolding, quarrelsome, obnoxious woman_ < Turkish karga.


In Czech *kavka* (= jackdaw, pronounced kafka) is a dupe, a gullible person.
We say _*'oškubat kavku'*_ = lit. to pluck a jackdaw (= to take someone to the cleaners).


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## ThomasK

Dutch: maybe a *helleveeg*, literally a hell sweeper, or a *feeks*, something like a mighty witch,  which might combine the magic of a *fee *(fairy-tale) and a *heks *(witch), but the latter etymythical explanation...


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## irinet

bibax said:


> According to the Cambridge on-line dictionary 'tigress' is a woman who is behaving very violently:
> 
> _Jean can be a real tigress if she feels criticized.
> 
> _In Czech we should rather say:
> 
> _She is a real tigress in bed. _(it's commonly used in English as well)



We say: 'She's a lioness (leoaică)' but this is associated to a strong motherhood feeling.


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Labis na mapaghanap


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## Määränpää

I like the sound of the Finnish word: *pirttihirmu *("terror of the house")


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## ThomasK

mataripis said:


> Tagalog: Labis na mapaghanap


But what does this mean? For sure it is some kind of a metaphor...


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Mapaghanap (always asking for something)


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