# Lazybones



## ThomasK

What words/ metaphors do you use to describe a lazy person ? Form and explanation please !

I can refer to some in Dutch (amongst others, of which I cannot guess the origin) : 

_nietsnut_ (good-for-nothing, no use for anything) 
_l__ijntrekker_ (line-drawer, meaning someone able to dodge the work (if that is all right in English)), 
_straatloper_ (street-runner/walking literally, just wandering, not working)
_dagdief_ (day-thief), 
_zonneklopper_ (sun-lover, sun-beater literally)

Looking forward !


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## Hakro

In *Finnish*:

(laiska = lazy)
_laiskamato _('lazy worm'), probably for the slow movement of a worm,
_patalaiska_ ('stewpot lazy'), extremely lazy. 
- _pata_ is used except for its actual meaning (stewpot) also as an enforcing prefix for certain words: _patahullu_ (extremely crazy), _patajuoppo_ (a total drinker), _patarani_ (all torn), _patavanhoillinen_ (ultraconservative)... that's all I could find now.


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## Saluton

Russian:

лентяй (lenty*a*y), comes from лень (len'), 'laze'
лодырь (l*o*dyr') - not sure about the etymology
бездельник (bezd*e*l'nik) - literally 'who does nothing'
лежебока (lezheb*o*ka) - literally 'who lies on his sides'
дармоед (darmoy*e*d) - literally 'who eats at others' expense (and doesn't give anything in return)'

There are more synonyms, but they don't necessarily imply laze so I'm not listing them.


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## DearPrudence

In French

*un fainéant
une feignasse *(always feminine even for men)*
un flemmard
un tire-au-flanc
un tire-au-cul* (more vulgar as "cul" = "arse" but personally I don't use it)
*un glandeur*
... (& there must be others...)

*"un bon à rien"* (good-for-nothing) is - for me - rather a useless person than someone lazy.


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## cyberpedant

My favorite Mexicanismo in this vein is to address someone as "Olga Pérez," which sounds like an ordinary name but is short for "holgazán perezoso" —lazy idler. I don't know how widely this phrase may be used. Perhaps some of our fellow hispanohablantes will comment.


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## anikka

latvian: sliņķis - lazy 
slinkumpods/slinkummaiss - a pot of laze/sack of laze
slaists
diedelnieks - but this can also mean a beggar
dīkdienis - 
dienaszaglis - the one who steals the day (by not working)


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## ThomasK

Just a request: can everyone try to suggest a translation ? That is where it becomes interesting for the rest of us, who regretfully do not know your language ! 

@DP : I think you're right as for the 'good-for-nothing', but I wonder if there is no link. And could you explain a little more ? 

@Anikka : could you explain 'ska...', 'die...', 'dik...' ? 

Thanks,
janG


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## Zsanna

I've looked in a Hungarian dictionary of synonyms and it had at least 20 adjectives/nouns and maybe just as many expressions for just one of the meanings (1. below), for we have 3 main areas to use the idea: 
1. for somebody who does not like work
2. who gets up late 
3. to describe a way of walking.

N.B. Among the 20 synonyms we have the equivalent of *good-for-nothing* (semmirekellő= necessary for nothing) because if somebody does not (or would not) occupy himself in one way or another, you cannot appreciate him as a "normal", "full" human being.

Some words and expressions then:

naplopó = daythief (there is also an expression with this: _to steal the day_)
lajhár = sloth
semmittevő = nothingdoer
tétlen = deedless (if I think right that _tét_ equals _tett_)
dologtalan =businessless ("business" in the sense of something to do/that needs doing)
munkakerülő =workavoider 
(for kids: iskolakerülő = schoolavoider - the one who e.g. pretends to be ill so as not to go to school but any way it's done, if the aim is the same, the term is the same)

föld terhe = (a)weight/burden on earth 
(meaning that he does not do anything else just _have _his own weight, so is just a burden on the ground/ to the "old mother Earth")

büdös neki a munka = work is smelly for him 
(this is why he doesn't want to touch it or get near it)

elmenne a munka temetésére = s/he would go to the burial of work (= to get rid of it)
(my granddad changed this saying into: _he wouldn't go to the burial of work so that people shouldn't think that he is sorry for it being dead _)


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## ThomasK

Those Hungarians are quite creative ! It gives me a few other ideas, but then we are widening our scope to sentences :
 - hij steekt geen vinger uit (he won't lift a finger(give a hand, well...) )
 - straatslijper (streetsharpener...)


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## kusurija

In Czech:
lenoch (from líný = lazy)
flákač
jen se poflakuje (~[s/he] only beats [time])
flink
ulejvák (from ulejvat=ulívat = pour out)
práce mu nevoní (work stinks/doesn't smell good to him)
práce mu neříká "Pane" (work doesn't say/title him "Mister")
práce se nebojí: klidně si vedle ní i lehne (s/he doesn't affraid of work: s/he can leisurely even lie paralelly to it)
ten práci nevymyslel ([that was] not he [, who] originated the work)
má ruce dozadu (has hands turned to back)
má lachtaní ruce s/he has hands of sea lion)
nemakačenko (ne=not; makat=work hard/quickly[coloquial]; -enko -> makes impression of person of east Slavic nationality e.g. Russian or Ukrainian or Slovak or so)
povaleč (who lies [rolling] [in much occasions])
zahálka (lazy - obsolete/bookish)

In Lithuanian:
tinginys (lazybone)
turi abi rankas į užpakalį (at)suktas (s/he has both hands turned to back)
nepersistengia (s/he doesn't endeavour too much)
laisvo oro direktorius (director/chief of free air)
vengia darbo ([s/he] avoids [the] work)


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## ThomasK

Interesting that Czechs refer to sea lions when talking about lazybones !

is it strange that there are no or hardly any resemblances with Dutch - except maybe the idea of beating ???


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## federicoft

Some in *Italian*:

Fannullone - Nothingdoer
Poltrone - Literally 'lazy', but similar to _poltrona_, 'armchair'.
Scansafatiche - "Work avoider"
Perditempo - "Time waster"
Perdigiorno - "Day waster"
Sfaccendato - (s=without; faccende=businesses)
Svogliato - (s=without; voglia=will).


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## kusurija

ThomasK said:


> Interesting that Czechs refer to sea lions when talking about lazybones !
> 
> is it strange that there are no or hardly any resemblances with Dutch - except maybe the idea of beating ???


Only one is similar words, but different meaning:
good-for-nothing - budižkničenu = galoot, blunderbuss, but not necessarily lazy...


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## kusurija

kusurija said:


> Only one is similar words, but different meaning:
> good-for-nothing - budižkničenu = galoot, blunderbuss, but not necessarily lazy...


Oops! Typo mistake: not budižkničenu but budižkničemu! Sorry!


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## Giorgio Lontano

Spanish:

Zángano: It's the male of the queen bee, or drone. It doesn't have a sting and it does not collect honey.
Huevón: It means someone has such big testicles that he has to drag them around, and that's why he's so lazy. Quite a vulgar word.
Flojo: Literaly, it means _loose._

Regards.


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## ThomasK

Just incredible how creative people seem to be when describing these persons...I guess it is due to utter disgust..


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## Hakkar

Adding another in italian:

Lavativi:idlers


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## ThomasK

That reminds me of another word in Dutch : 'leegganger' (or 'ledigganger'), '(empty-goer'. ('iIdle' also means _hollow_ or _empty_ etymologically, I believe)...


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## Hermocrates

federicoft said:


> Some in *Italian*:
> 
> Fannullone - Nothingdoer
> Poltrone - Literally 'lazy', but similar to _poltrona_, 'armchair'.
> Scansafatiche - "Work avoider"
> Perditempo - "Time waster"
> Perdigiorno - "Day waster"
> Sfaccendato - (s=without; faccende=businesses)
> Svogliato - (s=without; voglia=will).





Hakkar said:


> Adding another in italian:
> 
> Lavativi:idlers



A few more in *Italian*:

_Buono a nulla_ = good for nothing (discussed on WRF in this thread)

_Pelandrone_ = idler 

_Pigro_ = lazy 


Rye


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## OneStroke

We use lazy bones in Chinese too. 懶骨頭 - lan gutou


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## ThomasK

I'be interested in learning more about the origin of _lataviti, pelandrone_ and _lan gutou _!


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*Lazy:* «Οκνηρός, -ρή, -ρό» /okni'ros okni'ri okni'ro/ (masc. fem. neut.). Classical adj. «ὀκνηρός, -ρὰ, -ρόν» (ŏknē'rŏs, masc./ŏknē'ră, fem./ŏknē'rŏn, neut.)--> _idle, sluggish, lazy_ with obscure etymology. Colloquially «τεμπέλης, τεμπέλα, τεμπέλικο» /te'mbelis te'mbela te'mbeliko/ (masc. fem. neut.) a Turkish loan word, tembel (lazy) < Farsi تنبل (tanbal).
Verb «οκνεύω» (o'knevo)--> _to laze, be lazy_. Ancient Greek «ὀκνείω» (ŏ'kneiō) and «ὀκνέω» (ŏ'knĕō). Colloquially, «τεμπελιάζω» /tembeʎazo/.
*Metaphors:*
-«Καναπές» /kana'pes/ (masc.), lit. _sofa_ (for obvious reasons), a colloquialism. French loan word canapé, _settee, sofa_. 
-«Χαραμοφάης» /xaramo'fais/ (masc.), _spiv, slacker_, a colloquialism; compound, Turkish haram, _illicit, impure_ + neuter noun «φαΐ» /fa'i/, colloquialism of the neuter noun «φαγητό» /faʝi'to/, _food_.
-«Ακαμάτης, ακαμάτισσα» /aka'matis aka'matisa/ (masc. fem.), _sluggard_; compound, privative prefix «α-» (a-) + masculine noun «κάματος» /'kamatos/, _hard work, exhausting labour_; Classical masculine noun «κάματος» ('kămātŏs) meaning the same.
-«Κοπρίτης, κοπρίτισσα» /ko'pritis ko'pritisa/ (masc. fem.), _turd_; slangish almost vulgar; Byzantine pejorative term for the person who does not work and «κοπρίζει» /ko'prizi/ (3rd person present indicative). Classical verb «κοπρίζω» (kŏ'prīzō)--> _to defecate_, from «κόπρος» ('kŏ'prŏs)--> _dung, manure_.
-«Ξυσαρχίδας» /ksisar'çiðas/  lit. _he who scratches his testicles_; compound, verb «ξύνω» /'ksino/, _to scratch, scrape_, Classical verb «ξύω» ('ksūō) with the same meaning + neuter noun «αρχίδι» /ar'çiði/, colloquialism of the masculine noun «όρχις» /'orçis/, Classical «ὄρχις» ('ŏrxīs)--> _testicle_.


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## AquisM

In colloquial Cantonese, we also have the word 蛇王 (se wong), literally _snake king_, as snakes don't really do much except lying on the floor and coiling. This can also be used as a verb _to shirk from work._


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## catlady60

In English, in addition to "lazybones":

_ne'er-do-well_ - a lazy, irresponsible person
_good-for-nothing
slacker - _someone who avoids work or responsibility
_goof-off - _synomym for _slacker_
_loafer - _a person who is habitually lazy
_bum - _a lazy person who'd rather live off the others 
_couch potato - _a lazy person who spends his or her waking hours watching TV
_mouse potato - _a lazy person who spends too much time at the computer


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## OneStroke

I can't find the origin of lan gutou on the net...

AquisM, I've never heard of 蛇王 used as a noun before, but always a verb... are you sure it's used as one? (Maybe I'm just too young, because Wikipedia says it's falling out of fashion now. )


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## AquisM

Neither have I. I consulted Wikipedia too.


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## Encolpius

Very interesting thread....the most common *German *word is, I think, and the only one I know  -- Faulenzer [<faul lazy]...other examples? Japanese? etc...


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## ger4

I think that's right, _Faulenzer_ is probably the most common expression in German, _Faulpelz_ sounds a bit old-fashioned. Other versions are based on the adjective _faul_ ('lazy') which can easily be combined with any noun that seems to fit in - from _Sack_ ('bag') to _Schwein_ ('swine') to ... ... ...


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## Luxiaofeng

Hey folks,

Lots of word in Vietnamese describing a lazybones (thus, we are behind you??? Kidding ). Lets say 
"*thằng/con vô tích sự*" (Lit. boy/girl good for nothing) or 
"*vô công rỗi nghề*" (Lit. no job nor work) or*
 "đại lãn"* (Sino-Vietnamese) (Lit. the greatly lazy person) and *"lười"* (slothful)
to call someone who is definitely good at idling.

We also have idioms like "*phường giá áo túi cơm*" (Lit. you, the coat hanger and the rice bag) to talk about one who never does anything well or totally a couch-potato.

Cheers,
LFX.


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## Nawaq

DearPrudence said:


> In French
> 
> *un fainéant
> une feignasse *(always feminine even for men)
> *un flemmard
> un tire-au-flanc
> un tire-au-cul* (more vulgar as "cul" = "arse" but personally I don't use it)
> *un glandeur*
> ... (& there must be others...)



also _feignant(e)_, another form of the more formal _fainéant, _so it goes like this: _fainéant(e)*_, _feignant(e)_, _feignasse_...
* I don't even know if _fainéant(e)_ is much used these days, the noun is still very much used though, _fainéantise_.
... _paresseux_/_paresseuse _"lazy", from _paresse _"laziness", it's also the name for the sloth (animal), _le_/_un paresseux_...
... maybe also _branleur_/_branleuse_, from _branler_ "to wank", _quel branleur ton frère, toujours assis devant son ordi_.


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## Armas

More in Finnish:
_kuhnuri_ "drone" (male bee).
_vetelys_ < _vetelä_ "squishy, sloppy" and by extension "limp, languid".
_lorvi, vätys, nahjus, nuhjus_, I don't know their etymology...


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## KalAlbè

Haitian Creole:
Grate Santi
Literally: To scratch, to smell. 
You can picture someone sitting around scratching his/herself and smelling their armpits.


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## ilocas2

Czech: *líný jako veš* - lazy like louse


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