Literal vs actual meaning: when foreign swearing gets weird
Translate a swear word word-for-word and you often get something baffling. That gap is where the fun lives.
Translate a swear word literally and you'll often end up somewhere strange — a barnyard, a bakery, a family tree. The literal sense and the conversational punch are frequently miles apart.
Each of these is a real catalogue entry with both its literal gloss and what it actually means in use.
- 1μαλάκας 3/5 · Vulgar
malákas
Literally “wanker”. Insult for a jerk or fool; familiar address among some friends. Tone and relationship strongly affect force.
Full entry → - 2cabrón 4/5 · Strong
Literally “male goat”. Strong insult roughly like bastard; sometimes admiring or friendly. Use and force vary across countries; familiarity matters.
Full entry → - 3merde 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “excrement”. Shit; frustration, surprise or a description of poor quality. Also used to wish performers luck; not every occurrence is an insult.
Full entry → - 4cacasotto 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “person who soils themselves”. Insult for a coward. Figurative fear-related insult.
Full entry → - 5개뿔 2/5 · Coarse
gaeppul
Literally “dog horn”. Contemptuous word for something worthless; also dismisses a claim as nonsense. Often rejects an exaggerated claim.
Full entry → - 6merda 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “excrement”. Shit; exclamation or something of poor quality. Used in Portugal and Brazil; pronunciation varies.
Full entry → - 7بيضان 3/5 · Vulgar
bidan
Literally “testicles”. Vulgar Egyptian word used for annoying or tedious things. Not a general standard-Arabic adjective.
Full entry → - 8blbost 1/5 · Mild
Literally “stupidity”. Nonsense or a stupid thing. Mild dismissive word.
Full entry → - 9fanden 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “the devil”. Oath or exclamation. Also literal religious noun.
Full entry → - 10Affenarsch 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “monkey arse”. Coarse comic personal insult. Not a racial term by itself; context can change use.
Full entry →