# terms of endearment (not shirley maclaine) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 19, 2001, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053 "2001-07-19T14:37:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/1 "2001-07-19T14:37:47Z")
So, tired of calling my husband “boss”, “chief”, “state comptroller”, “schatz” and “liebchen”, I’m looking for some new and different terms of endearment: SPECIFICALLY (just to keep this thread under 1,000 pages), terms of endearment in other languages. I’d love to hear some different German ones (of course), also Dutch or Russian, but lord knows I’m not going to sneeze at portuguese. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/2 "2001-07-19T14:56:56Z")
May I suggest: My SO and I use “Snookie” or, alternatively Schnookums (and Meat - a cartoon). Or, we have had a good time wandering a grocery store and using assorted food items: “my little potted meat food product” “my sweet gherkin” and naturally “my cocktail weinie” The dairy aisle provides us with “imitation pasturized processed cheese food spread” and ‘low-fat yogurt’. and the produce aisle gives us these favorites: ‘My little Habenero’ (peppers are especially good) ‘colorabi’, or even ‘my favorite kumquat’. hope this helps! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Simetra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Simetra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simetra)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/3 "2001-07-19T15:33:36Z")
**Minet** _(pron. Mee-nay)_ “can” mean “Darling” in French. So can **Cher(e)** _(pron. Sh@r)_. Of course, don’t tell **Serendipity** I told you ;), but I always call her “Tummy”. Hehehe… I _love_ that nickname, and it’s 'cause she’s got the best tummy ever. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/4 "2001-07-19T15:43:37Z")
My SO calls me “Il Duce” when I’m feeling full of myself. Or sometimes “Benito”. On these occasions, I obligingly adopt an upright pose, and raise my hands as if greeting the masses from my balcony. More normally though, I’m either an animal or a food product. Some samples: Sweet Amphibian Toad Hairy Dinner Roll I call her “Squid”. Don’t ask. I don’t even think I remember how we came up with that one. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/5 "2001-07-19T16:48:25Z")
“Chulo” (chew-low) is darling, as in “How darling!” for a male “Guapo” (gwah-poe) is handsome guy “Suave” (swah-vey) is sexy/cool for a man “Jefe” (hef-fay) is boss All these endearments are California/Mexican Spanish words used in my family, with Jefe being the most pleasing to adult males. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/6 "2001-07-19T16:54:13Z")
Mon petit chou (my little cabbage), is for some reason considered charming. Kara is Esperanto for “dear”. Vi estas mia kara kaj mia kora kaj la lumo de mia vivo kaj la trezoro de mia animo. (You are my darling and my dear and the light of my life and the treasure of my soul.) ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/7 "2001-07-19T20:16:23Z")
\ matt\_mcl es que suave! \ ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/8 "2001-07-19T20:38:34Z")
liebling = darling hubsch = handsome liebhaber = lover ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/9 "2001-07-19T20:41:09Z")
Hubby calls me “Lil’ bit” or ‘Sprite.’ I call him sweetie, or Bishop (he looks a bit like Lance Henrikson). But I’m thinking you want something a little more masculine. And in that case, you can’t go wrong with Latin!! 😉 Magus- wise man. Geselle - lover. Dulcissime - sweetest one. Pretiosa - precious. Herus - master. Of course, then you have to get him to call you ‘domicella’ (mistress). 🙂 That help at all? -BK ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-of-endearment-not-shirley-maclaine/73053/10 "2001-07-19T20:47:16Z")
Darling = Tesoro Sweet Cheeks = Dolci Guancie My Heart = Il mio cuore Love Muffin = Focaccina Di Amore Love = amore Sex God = dio del sesso My Little Sausage = Mia piccola salsiccia Pasta Angel = Angelo Della Pasta Boss = Sporgenza Chief = Capo