Obviously, this thread will contain coarse, uncouth, and foul language.
I woke up this morning, jumped out of bed, and my right calf immediately cramped. After yelling out, “FUCK,” and rousing my wife, I worked out the cramp and went downstairs to make the coffee. While waiting for my morning elixir, I realized that I don’t know a comparable word or phrase in any other language (except, “scheisse,” in German, but I don’t know if that word is comparably strong).
So, Dopers, will you teach me to exclaim with profanity in other languages? Let’s start with interjections/exclamations. What would you cry out after stepping on a Lego or stubbing your toe in the middle of the night? Explanations of proper usage, pronunciation guides or links, translations, and interesting trivia are all welcome additions (particularly pronunciations, and especially if they are from outside of German or the common Romance languages).
I think Part 2 will cover, “asshole,” and other words to describe every driver but you.
UK English. “Bollocks” is very versatile. A bit milder than fuck, but still can be used as an interjection, exclamation, or indeed, an ejaculation.
Typical use might be for a slighter inconvenience than cramp (which would also require a “fuck”, or more likely a “fucking hell”) such as dropping the last piece of toast on the floor; this would warrant an “oh, bollocks”.
It can also be used to indicate nonsense or balderdash ie “What a load of [old] bollocks”, or simply “BOLLOCKS”
Conversely, it can be pressed into use as a compliment ie “Those shoes are the [dog’s] bollocks”. Absolutely key here is “the”. “Man City were bollocks this season” and “Man City were the bollocks this season”… two very different sentences.
Putain ! works, too. Literally it means “whore” but it’s also used as an all-purpose interjection when things don’t go your way.
You can also make garlands of profanities like Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperie de connard d’enculé de ta mère. But only when you’re really peeved.
In Germany, the Bavarians are most creative with swear words. *Himmelherrgottsakramentzefixhallelujascheissglumpatverreckts *is the longest I’ve heard of.
But for daily use, fuck!=Scheiße! and asshole=Arschloch are sufficient.
¡Coño! (technically means “cunt,” but is much softer than that in American English) Used freely and commonly by both men and women.
¡Carajo! (technically “dick,” but likewise softer.) Often ¡Ajo! (“garlic”) is substituted.
¡Chucha! (also “cunt,” but has different meanings in other Spanish-speaking countries.) Often ¡Chuleta! (“pork chop”) is substituted, much to the confusion of people not familiar with the original word.
*¡Mierda! *(“shit”). Often ¡Miercoles! (Wednesday) is substituted.
I presume that “Puta Madre” is a profanity, rather than just an obscenity? That is to say, that it’s referring to Mary, but calling her a slut rather than a virgin?
Perkele is a Finnish universal swearword that is so useful even neighbouring nations have picked it up. You just can’t argue with that kind of utility.
Well, “Scheiss” as in “Was ein Scheiss!” (“What a shit!”) is common, but nobody uses “Scheisskopf”, though everybody would understand the intention. A closer counterpart to “shithead” would be “Pappkopp”, though that’s regional (Westphalian mostly).
