# Words for one gender that mean or imply something different than the word for the other gender **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253 "2010-10-06T14:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/1 "2010-10-06T14:10:44Z")
A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. Similarly “dog” and “bitch.” On the other hand “to mother” and “to father” are so far apart in meaning. So far, we had to start using “to parent.” ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/2 "2010-10-06T20:25:34Z")
A lot of women use “girlfriend” to refer to any female friends, but if a man says it, he’s usually talking about his partner. Which is annoying for lesbians like me, because if I had a lesbian girlfriend that I was in a relationship with, what would I call her? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/3 "2010-10-06T20:30:20Z")
> [@Terra1041](#): > > A lot of women use “girlfriend” to refer to any female friends, but if a man says it, he’s usually talking about his partner. > > Which is annoying for lesbians like me, because if I had a lesbian girlfriend that I was in a relationship with, what would I call her? I don’t know, but if a man talked about his “boyfriend” I’d assume that he was gay and was talking about his partner. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/4 "2010-10-06T20:30:21Z")
Pig in reference to a man usually means he either has poor sanitation or low standards for who he will have sex with Pig in reference to a woman usually means she eats a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/5 "2010-10-06T21:13:15Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. Similarly “dog” and “bitch.” Dog & bitch are most definitely not the same thing! Dog is a general term, referring to any canine. Bitch is specifically a subset, a female dog. (To dog breeders, it is even more specific – a female dog capable of reproduction. Thus excluding puppies & spayed females.) That’s a much smaller subset of ‘dogs’. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/6 "2010-10-06T22:23:19Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. I don’t think those are equivalent at all. To my mind, a “stud” is just a sexually attractive male. The female equivalent would be “fox.” Both are generally positive. A “slut” is just a female who is not choosy about who she sleeps with; it doesn’t indicate anything about attractiveness. I think the closest male equivalent is “womanizer.” Both are negative. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/7 "2010-10-06T22:31:19Z")
In theory, Old Maid/Spinster and Life-long Bachelor should mean the same thing, but almost all recent usages of Life-long Bachelor I’ve heard recently meant “Gay”. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/8 "2010-10-07T02:49:46Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. Similarly “dog” and “bitch.” > > Dog & bitch are most definitely not the same thing! Dog is a general term, referring to any canine. Bitch is specifically a subset, a female dog. (To dog breeders, it is even more specific – a female dog capable of reproduction. Thus excluding puppies & spayed females.) That’s a much smaller subset of ‘dogs’. I wonder whether **Annie** was referring to the more metaphorical uses. Imagine calling a guy “you old dog” (wink wink, nudge nudge). Now try calling a woman “you old bitch.” See which one gets the better reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/9 "2010-10-07T03:24:25Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > > > Dog & bitch are most definitely not the same thing! Dog is a general term, referring to any canine. Bitch is specifically a subset, a female dog. (To dog breeders, it is even more specific – a female dog capable of reproduction. Thus excluding puppies & spayed females.) That’s a much smaller subset of ‘dogs’. > > I wonder whether **Annie** was referring to the more metaphorical uses. > > Imagine calling a guy “you old dog” (wink wink, nudge nudge). > > Now try calling a woman “you old bitch.” > > See which one gets the better reaction. In addition, I’ve heard women referred to as dogs. When someone is trying to call them ugly. As for men, what you said. Mistress and Mister (or Master) have drastically different meanings (though an English major may step in and tell me they’re not actually equivalent). Miss, Mrs., Ms. all have pretty specific implications while Mr. does not. Mankind is often used to refer to all humans while womankind is only 50% of us. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/10 "2010-10-07T03:32:54Z")
The thing is, in contexts where bitch means female dog, dog means male dog. It’s a lot more like the womankind and mankind mentioned above, except there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent to humankind. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/11 "2010-10-07T03:51:28Z")
It’s not just canines, either . . . > [@Frank Costanza](#): > > You have the rooster, the hen, and the chicken. The rooster goes with the chicken… So who’s having sex with the hen? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/12 "2010-10-07T07:43:16Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. > > I don’t think those are equivalent at all. > > To my mind, a “stud” is just a sexually attractive male. The female equivalent would be “fox.” Both are generally positive. > > A “slut” is just a female who is not choosy about who she sleeps with; it doesn’t indicate anything about attractiveness. I think the closest male equivalent is “womanizer.” Both are negative. Round here the male equivlent to a slut would be a buaya, which loosely translates to crocodile. The nearest male equivlent to slut I could think of would be sleaze ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/13 "2010-10-07T13:36:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. > > I don’t think those are equivalent at all. > > To my mind, a “stud” is just a sexually attractive male. The female equivalent would be “fox.” Both are generally positive. > > A “slut” is just a female who is not choosy about who she sleeps with; it doesn’t indicate anything about attractiveness. I think the closest male equivalent is “womanizer.” Both are negative. Has anyone in human history ever used the word “manizer”? I’ve heard “man-eater,” which is often used negatively (and now you can have that earworm for the rest of the day). ETA: Yes, I was thinking about “dog” and “bitch” as they are used to apply to people. “Dog” is a wink wink, nudge, nudge word; bitch is so low I rarely use it to apply to anyone. The one time I did in the office, it was ike an EF Hutton commercial–the whole place went dead silent as everyone was in a state of shock. I think the B-word says more about the person who is using it than the person it’s being used to describe. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/14 "2010-10-07T13:49:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. > > I don’t think those are equivalent at all. > > To my mind, a “stud” is just a sexually attractive male. The female equivalent would be “fox.” Both are generally positive. > > A “slut” is just a female who is not choosy about who she sleeps with; it doesn’t indicate anything about attractiveness. I think the closest male equivalent is “womanizer.” Both are negative. This is exactly what I was going to say. The underlying cultural attitude that traditionally considered sexually active men in a positive light and sexually active women in a negative light has eroded quite a bit as well. Today it is considered normal for women to have and enjoy sex with multiple partners, and men who are overly aggressive in their pursuit of sex are not considered role models. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/15 "2010-10-07T13:56:01Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > A “stud” and a “slut” are the same thing, yet one (male) is positive and one(female) is negative. Similarly “dog” and “bitch.” > > Dog & bitch are most definitely not the same thing! Dog is a general term, referring to any canine. Bitch is specifically a subset, a female dog. (To dog breeders, it is even more specific – a female dog capable of reproduction. Thus excluding puppies & spayed females.) That’s a much smaller subset of ‘dogs’. Point of clarification: a male dog is known as a “dog.” A female dog is known as a “bitch.” So in that sense they are equivalent terms, even though as you point out both words also have other meanings. For purposes of this discussion, most people who use the word “bitch” in describing a human female are not ascribing the traits of a dog to her. The male equivalent of “bitch” is “asshole”\* and the connotation is the same. - yes, a woman can be called an asshole. And a man can be called a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/16 "2010-10-07T14:07:15Z")
I’ve always found it interesting that there many, many words for "penis"and not a single one that men find offensive; while there are virtually no words for “vagina” that women consider acceptable. Recently I’ve heard women use the term “vagay-jay” but I suspect if men started using that word it would become offensive to women. The distinction is even more obvious when you apply the terms to the genders that sport them. Call a man a prick or a dick or a cock – he might not like the sentiment but the word choice is not an issue. Call a woman a c\*\*\* – hey, I’m not even going to write that word. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/17 "2010-10-07T14:14:40Z")
Great example. I am so against that word that I don’t even think it. Use it to describe a man and you’ll really see some fireworks. That is, if he leaves you conscious! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/18 "2010-10-07T14:18:09Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > I’ve always found it interesting that there many, many words for "penis"and not a single one that men find offensive Men don’t find being called a dick offensive? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/19 "2010-10-07T14:19:35Z")
Hooker (female) = sex worker Hooker (male) = rugby player He’s a bull of a man = his power is to be admired She’s a cow of a woman = she’s horrible ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253/20 "2010-10-07T14:20:30Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > > [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > > > I’ve always found it interesting that there many, many words for "penis"and not a single one that men find offensive > > Men don’t find being called a dick offensive? 😕 Not as bad as being called the c-word. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-for-one-gender-that-mean-or-imply-something-different-than-the-word-for-the-other-gender/556253.md?page=2)