# to get off in a cube



## starrynightrhone

Hello everybody,

the following is from www.overheardinnewyork.com: 


*Guy to buddy*: "No, it actually sucks because she's a selfish bitch. She switched our cell phones because mine vibrates better... So she can get off in her cube."


Does anybody know what "to get off in her cube" means? Just curious.

Thanks a lot.


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## Kajjo

Ja, es bedeutet "sich einen runterholen" -- sie masturbiert mit dem Vibrator des Mobiltelefons.

Kajjo


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## Kajjo

starrynightrhone said:


> Guy to buddy: "No, it actually sucks because she's a selfish bitch. She switched our cell phones because mine vibrates better... So she can get off in her cube."


_Nein, eigentlich pißt mich das voll an, denn sie ist eine selbstsüchtige Schlampe. Sie hat doch glatt unsere Handys vertauscht, weil mein's stärker vibriert... Damit holt sich sich dann in ihrem Büo einen runter." _<vulgar language!>

(cube = abgegrenzter Bereich in einem Großraumbüro -- fällt mir aber kein guter deutscher Begriff für ein)

Kajjo


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## starrynightrhone

Kajjo said:


> _Nein, eigentlich pißt mich das voll an, denn sie ist eine selbstsüchtige Schlampe. Sie hat doch glatt unsere Handys vertauscht, weil mein's stärker vibriert... Damit holt sich sich dann in ihrem Büo einen runter." _<vulgar language!>
> 
> (cube = abgegrenzter Bereich in einem Großraumbüro -- fällt mir aber kein guter deutscher Begriff für ein)
> 
> Kajjo


 

Vielen Dank Kajjo!


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## I.C.

To my knowledge _to get off _here would mean _to orgasm_. 
_Bitch_  I myself would rather translate as _Zicke_. I'd say_ Schlampe  _usually implies promiscuity, roughly equivalent terms in my opinion would be  _slut_ or _skank_.


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## Kajjo

I.C. said:


> _Bitch_ I myself would rather translate as _Zicke_.


That was my first idea, too, but it does not really fit the context, does it? I know bitch as _ Schlampe, Nutte und Zicke _-- it depends on the context. Particularly the adjective _bitchy_ is _zickig._


> I'd say_ Schlampe _usually implies promiscuity, roughly equivalent terms in my opinion would be _slut_ or _skank_.


I agree that  _Schlampe _and _slut _are a really good match. In the title expression _Schlampe_ is not directly about promiscuity, but the concept is very close and probably meant this way.

Kajjo


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## I.C.

Kajjo said:


> That was my first idea, too, but it does not really fit the context, does it?


"Selfish bitch". I reckon it does. My guess would be, the guy is (more or less seriously) fed up because his girlfriend swapped phones and did so without asking him. He may be fond of his mobile or even rely on it, yet he ended up with an inferior model. I would think he may not even object to her getting off in her cube as such. I also wouldn't rule out that the words "no, it actually sucks" refer to her high interest in sexual activity, he may have mentioned it in conversation and the person he was talking to might have called him lucky.


> I know bitch as _Schlampe, Nutte und Zicke _-- it depends on the context.


I don’t. I’d never translate it as _Schlampe_ or _Nutte_. In fact, I believe I’ve never called a woman a _Schlampe_  or _slut_, but to describe someone who behaves bitchy I’ve frequently used _bitch_. Native speakers may chime in and disagree, but I’ve heard "she’s such a bitch" countless times and often followed by an explanation why the individual in question is a bitch, according to my memory it was always about bitchiness, never about perceived sluttiness. I'm not saying, though, that _bitch _isn't used with sexual connotations by people I don't know, I have heard of (but not heard) phrases which may rather be American English that would indicate it may be.


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## Kajjo

In UK _bitch_ is in my experience surely used meaning _slut_. We need natives!

Kajjo


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## I.C.

I'll add the sexual connotation that I heard of to me seems to be one indicating ownership, not promiscuity. When I hear _bitch _(and I don't listen to an awful lot of hip hop), I myself solely think of a mean-spirited or bitchy woman.


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## starrynightrhone

I agree with I.C. From my experience (in the US), "bitch" more or less translates as "Zicke" and is not as offensive as "slut"  ("Schlampe"). I use the first one colloquially for bitchy behavior, whereas "slut" is not a lexeme I would use lightly (actually I never use it ).


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## Kajjo

As with many colloquial and vulgar terms, there appears to be a significant difference between UK and US usage.

Kajjo


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## gaer

Kajjo said:


> As with many colloquial and vulgar terms, there appears to be a significant difference between UK and US usage.
> 
> Kajjo


There is some difference, Kajjo, but I don't think it is as large as you think. If you feel sure that the UK usage is different, it would be wise to open a thread in the English Forum.

In the meantime, Cambridge:

I would say these generally mean very different things:

"She's such a slut." (sexually active)
"She's such a bitch." (conceited, nasty, vindictive)

I avoid using either of these words most of the time. They are extremely insulting. If I used either, it would be in extreme anger.

Gaer


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## captaincandy

For the record, I agree that "bitch" does not mean "slut", that is, does not imply promiscuity. (In fact, in hiphop slang, it can also just mean "woman".)

But getting back to Kajjo's translation of the sentence: (very slight detour!)
_"Damit holt sie sich dann in ihrem Büro einen runter."_
Can a woman "sich einen runter holen"? I thought it was used only for male masturbation.


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## gaer

captaincandy said:


> For the record, I agree that "bitch" does not mean "slut", that is, does not imply promiscuity. (In fact, in hiphop slang, it can also just mean "woman".)


The problem is that we haven't gotten an answer from someone in the UK. 

Gaer


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## starrynightrhone

captaincandy said:


> But getting back to Kajjo's translation of the sentence: (very slight detour!)
> _"Damit holt sie sich dann in ihrem Büro einen runter."_
> Can a woman "sich einen runter holen"? I thought it was used only for male masturbation.


 
That's true captaincandy, but the meaning of the quote was completely clear to me once Kajjo made the cube-office connection (that just didn't occur to me)  

Thanks for everybody's suggestions!


.


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## Kajjo

I figure the sexual implication of _bitch_ in the title sentence is very clear. The man is not moaning  about bitchy behaviour, but about lewd intentions.

Merriam-Webster: *2 a* *:* a lewd or immoral woman 
PlainDefinitions. _An opprobrious name for a woman, especially a lewd woman.
_American Heritage.*2**b.*  A lewd woman

Kajjo


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## gaer

Kajjo said:


> I figure the sexual implication of _bitch_ in the title sentence is very clear. The man is not moaning about bitchy behaviour, but about lewd intentions.
> 
> Merriam-Webster: *2 a* *:* a lewd or immoral woman
> PlainDefinitions. _An opprobrious name for a woman, especially a lewd woman._
> American Heritage.*2**b.* A lewd woman
> 
> Kajjo


MW:
*2 a* *:* a lewd or immoral woman _b : a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman_ -- sometimes used as a generalized term of abuse
American Heritage
*2.* _Offensive_ *a.* _*A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.*_ *b.* A lewd woman.

MW and AH support your idea, but Cambridge, which is much better at describing UK usage, does not even mention "lewd".

Source for Cambridge:

The specific usage in this thread is "selfish bitch". There is, in my opinion, no sexual connotation at all to this usage—out of context. Period. You are picking it up from the rest of the text. 

Gaer


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## Kajjo

gaer said:


> The specific usage in this thread is "selfish bitch". There is, in my opinion, no sexual connotation at all to this usage—out of context. Period. You are picking it up from the rest of the text.


Yes, that might quite well be the case. Collocations like "horny bitch" surely have nothing to do with "bitchy" but with "slut". Thus, I conclude _bitch_ can be either bitchy or have a sexual connotation depending on the context.  Like so often: Context is what matters most.

Kajjo


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## alisonp

Okay, since you want a UK interpretation, I'd say that 'bitch' in UK English has no sexual connotation - it just means someone who's mean, catty and so on.  There is the US 'street' connotation of "you is ma bitch", which is starting to get picked up by some young people over here who are trying to look 'cool', but I'm not sure that there's necessarily a sexual connotation to that either.  All I know is that if anyone said that to me he'd receive a slap round the face in return!


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## I.C.

The phrases involving "bitch" that I'm not familar with myself, but in which I seemed to detect a sexual element (when used in daily life not necessarily in the actual relationship between those involved, but in the connotation of the phrases) would be “to make someone a bitch” and related to that  meaning “to be someone’s bitch”. I would think they may rather not belong to the other sets of meanings and at least by origin, which I believe to be prison slang, would not be about women, anyway, but guys. Myself I'd never say such.


captaincandy said:


> (In fact, in hiphop slang, it can also just mean "woman".)


(And that’s also what I meant. I suspect this choice of words nevertheless may stem from and thus reflect particular general perceptions.) 


I.C. said:


> to describe someone who behaves bitchy I’ve frequently used bitch.


On second thought change “frequently” to “occasionally”.


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## captaincandy

Why all the reticence to use the word "bitch" in the meaning of nasty, catty, evil-spirited woman? It's such a perfect word for that. (Not, of course, just to mean "woman", which  -- obviously! - is extremely offensive.) OK, so it's slangy. So what? 
The type of person is horrible, but the word is good.


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## I.C.

captaincandy said:


> Why all the reticence to use the word "bitch" in the meaning of nasty, catty, evil-spirited woman? It's such a perfect word for that.


Not sure I'm reticent. I’ll have to think about that. 
There’s a lovely German term, Stutenbissigkeit.


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## mustang72

I.C. said:


> ... Stutenbissigkeit.


Das Wort hat aber eine ganz andere Bedeutung welche ich in der bisherigen Diskussion nirgends sehe.


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## I.C.

mustang72 said:


> Das Wort hat aber eine ganz andere Bedeutung welche ich in der bisherigen Diskussion nirgends sehe.


Ich habe auch nicht behauptet, daß "stutenbissig" genau das Gleiche bedeutet wie "bitchy".


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## gaer

alisonp said:


> Okay, since you want a UK interpretation, I'd say that 'bitch' in UK English has no sexual connotation - it just means someone who's mean, catty and so on.


That's exactly what the primary meaning is here too. 

We should probably mention that men can be "bitchy" too, and when they are, the word is an appropriate insult. 

Gaer


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## gaer

mustang72 said:


> Das Wort hat aber eine ganz andere Bedeutung welche ich in der bisherigen Diskussion nirgends sehe.


The word "catty" was used by a least two people, and although it does not have exactly the same meaning as "bitchy", isn't "Stuttenbissigkeit" very close to "cattiness"?

Gaer


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## mustang72

I.C. said:


> Ich habe auch nicht behauptet, daß "stutenbissig" genau das Gleiche bedeutet wie "bitchy".


Ich habe auch nicht behauptet, dass du das dem gleichgestellt hast. Ich sehe bzw sah keinen Bezug zum bisherigen Thema, siehe aber folgendes.



gaer said:


> The word "catty" was used by a least two people, and although it does not have exactly the same meaning as "bitchy", isn't "Stuttenbissigkeit" very close to "cattiness"?
> 
> Gaer


Stutenbissigkeit bedeutet etwas ganz spezielles (siehe auch Deutsches Wiki). Die Stute ist das weibliche Pferd (engl. mare). Stutenbissigkeit bezieht sich auf ein verhalten, dass sich Stuten angeblich als Rivalen beissen. Speziell in Firmen wo viele Frauen arbeiten spricht man oft von Stutenbissigkeit wenn zwei Frauen sich das Leben gegenseitig schwer machen. Ich sehe auch im LEO Forum, dass man versucht das mit bitchiness oder cuttiness zu uebersetzen nur sehe ich bei beiden Varianten in englischen Dictionaries nicht im Ansatz dieses _Verhalten_.

Nachtrag: @ I.C. In dem Sinn muss ich dir absolut Recht geben ist Stutenbissigkeit 'a lovely German term' nur wuerde ich bitchy, catty oder cattiness niemals mit stutenbissig uebersetzen ausser es geht aus dem Kontext nebst diesen Woertern hervor. Umgekehrt kann man das versuchen aber kommt damit dem eigentlichen Sinne des Wortes ueberhaupt nicht nahe und muesst es umschreiben. Vielleicht kommt Gear jetzt noch ein geeignetes Wort dazu in den Sinn.


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## Hutschi

Mein Babylon-Wörterbuch gibt an:

Bitch = Hündin, Schlampe, Nutte 

"Hündin" könnte man verwenden, um eine Frau als gemein darzustellen. Dazu ist aber Kontext erforderlich und es ist nicht sehr gebräuchlich in diesem Sinne. "Diese Hündin! ... hat mich betrogen!"

"Zicke" hat für mich eher den Kontext störrisch, eigensinnig, oft für relativ junge Frauen oder für Mädchen. 

"Schlampe" hat den Kontext: liederlich, unsauber.

"Nutte" hat den Kontext: Hure, Prostituierte. Manche wenden es als pures Schimpfwort an, um eine Frau zu beleidigen und herabzuwürdigen. "Die ist eine Nutte!" 

Für bitchy gibt das Wörterbuch an: 
bitchy = boshaft, gemein, gehässig


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## Kajjo

Ja, Hutschi, genauso habe ich das Wort auch gelernt. Ich habe jetzt mal in gedruckten Werken nachgesehen und siehe da: Langenscheidt 1982: bitch = Hure.

Ich weiß nicht mehr, welchen Aussagen man vertrauen soll. Können zahlreiche Lexika so irren? Hat sich die Bedeutung in den letzten Jahren so gewandelt?

Kajjo


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## gaer

mustang72 said:


> Ich habe auch nicht behauptet, dass du das dem gleichgestellt hast. Ich sehe bzw sah keinen Bezug zum bisherigen Thema, siehe aber folgendes.
> 
> Stutenbissigkeit bedeutet etwas ganz spezielles (siehe auch Deutsches Wiki). Die Stute ist das weibliche Pferd (engl. mare). Stutenbissigkeit bezieht sich auf ein verhalten, dass sich Stuten angeblich als Rivalen beissen. Speziell in Firmen wo viele Frauen arbeiten spricht man oft von Stutenbissigkeit wenn zwei Frauen sich das Leben gegenseitig schwer machen.


Actually, the word "catty" would be a word my mother might have used for such behavior. I can't think of a better word in English. It's not a word I use.

I don't think you will find a word in English that describes "two women making life difficult for each other in business/firms/the workplace" because they are rivals. 

Gaer


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## mustang72

gaer said:


> I don't think you will find a word in English that describes "two women making life difficult for each other in business/firms/the workplace" because they are rivals.
> 
> Gaer


Exactly, and catty is derived from cat, catlike. Although the situation is somewhat similar I'd be cautious to translate it either way without additional context because "Stutenbissigkeit" is very precise.


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## Kajjo

Ich möchte nicht unerwähnt lassen, daß mir das Wort Stutenbissigkeit sehr seltsam vorkommt. Ich hatte es vorher noch nie gehört! Ich kenne "Stutenbeißen" und seltener davon abgeleitet "Stutenbeißerei". Die Bedeutung ist aber exakt so wie beschrieben, wobei ich es kurz als "Zickerei unter Frauen" umreißen würde. Der Aspekt der Rivalität (um Männer, Jobs, Aufmerksamkeit...) ist aber zentral.

Kajjo


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## I.C.

gaer said:


> I don't think you will find a word in English that describes "two women making life difficult for each other in business/firms/the workplace" because they are rivals.


I’d not restrict Stutenbissigkeit to the workplace and think it suffices if one of the parties involved bites. Some examples: http://oe3.orf.at/aktuell/stories/118868/, http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-portal/de/wort_www?site=22&Wort_id=194086478 
It wasn’t intended to be a translation for anything. My fault.

Forgot to mention how I see the term Stutenbissigkeit. I’d say it's meant to describe bitchy and nasty behaviour among females that is motivated by feelings of envy or competition for status. In principle this could be anywhere, but of course there are the usual suspects for context. I’d say a certain level of viciousness is insinuated, the act of putting someone down, personal attacks that are meant to hurt.


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## gaer

I.C. said:


> I’d not restrict Stutenbissigkeit to the workplace and think it suffices if one of the parties involved bites. Some examples: http://oe3.orf.at/aktuell/stories/118868/, http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-portal/de/wort_www?site=22&Wort_id=194086478
> It wasn’t intended to be a translation for anything. My fault.


But as I suspected, many of othe exmamples do show "catty" behavior. 

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary


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